The problem is that a lot of younger men these days simply don't know how to be fathers. They were raised in the nanny state and coddled from the time they were born- never allowed to go outside and learn things on their own. As such, these dads now coddle their kids the same way. 

The other day I was in the grocery store. A young child was having a temper tantrum, and knocked over a huge display of stationary. His father just smiled at him and ignored the poor staff who had to clean up the huge mess on the floor. If I had done that when I was a child, my dad would have tanned my hide so badly I would not be able to sit for months! Todays young fathers may be hard-working, well-intentioned men, but they have a lot to learn about parenting.