For new dads, balancing being a good father and a good husband can be challenging. While assisting in all the duties such as changing diapers, feeding and bathing is important to quelling any arguments between man and wife, results of a new study indicate there may be another way to improve a relationship – and it is surprising.
According to Men's Health magazine, the study focused on 112 couples with toddlers, and analyzed how much time dads spent playing with their kids as opposed to providing care. The research, which was published in a recent issue of Developmental Psychology, found that couples experienced a stronger bond when fathers spent more time playing with their children.
The study's author, Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, told the publication that the findings suggest that moms are less-likely to worry that dads are dads doing something incorrectly if they're playing with their kids rather than providing care.
Still, it does not serve as a free pass for men looking to shirk their fatherly duties. Dr. Howard Markman added that new parents should have open lines of communication to ensure each has an equal hand in parenting early on.
"Silence is deadly," he told the magazine. "A man has to take responsibility when his silence is troublesome."