Much attention has been directed to the use of F-statistics (and similar measures) for the indirect estimation of gene flow between populations. While such approaches allow estimation from a cross-cutting survey of a single generation, they have their limitations. An alternative is to use a two-generation approach, based on paternity analysis. There are many different situations one can treat, given proper mendelian inheritance of a set of genetic markers, but we will concentrate on the situation with known mothers and offspring, coupled with candidate male (pollen donor) populations of "well-estimated" genetic composition. This approach is a simple extension of single-male analysis, not unlike a mixed stock (migrational) fisheries analysis. We can also model the respective contributions of the pollen donor populations, in terms of interesting features or in terms of their distance from the recipient (female) population. We will illustrate with a tropical pioneer tree species, Cecropia obtusifolia, for which the appropriate data provide a telling demonstration of patterned gene flow. Parentage analysis, while it requires additional information, would appear to be more powerful than F-statistics analysis, in elucidating gene flow.