In this paper I raised the question whether the paternal dimension intervenes earlier than it had previously been thought. The concept of a purely dyadic relationship between infant and mother is now as unacceptable as the concept of a stage of normal autism. The father is present, often in flesh, and in any event in the mother's psyche. The impact of the father's mothering or of his absence on the child probably depends on the internal and external relationships between the parents and on those each has with the child.

The evolution of mores cannot be prevented, but the change constitutes a natural experiment from which we shall try and learn and draw conclusions.