Dads Are Important for the Integral Development
of Kids
Research has revealed that interactions with a father are as important as
interactions with a mother in a child’s integral development.
A father’s influence starts to be important from very early on. One study,
conducted in Germany, showed that dads who interacted with their kids in
sensitive, supportive, and challenging ways, starting from the age of two,
continued to have a good rapport with them through their teen years.
Dad is important to a baby’s social development 5, 10, and 20 years down the
line. Researchers found that kids less attached to their dads at age 5 were more
anxious, withdrawn, and less self-confident at age 9. This resulted in lower
acceptance by peers and made them less well adjusted at school.
Another study revealed that kids from families where dads work together with
children on household chores, proved to be better adjusted and more socially
aware. This provides a win-win situation for dads, moms, and kids. It might
interest sex-deprived dads that this same research also found that dads who did
more housework fared better in their sex lives with their wives.
How Are Dads Different from Moms?
In our culture, mom is looked upon as the expert in child rearing, because she
usually is the one to stay home with the baby and takes a more natural intense
interest in the baby due to her specific personal experience. Moms and
grandmothers often patronize fathers about their role (“isn’t that cute how he
tries to change the diaper”) or worse, criticize dads outright for their
approach to parenting. It’s very important for couples working as a team to
understand that yet again, Mars and Venus look at their roles as parents
differently. One is not better than the other. In fact, research has revealed
that kids develop more completely when the parenting styles of dads and moms
complement each other. It is important to understand that fathers parent
differently because dads don’t always think like moms.
Note: Navigate through the following links to read the entire article.
Top Five Ways in which Dads are Different: Introduction
Top Five Ways in which Dads are Different: Handling Emotions
Top Five Ways in which Dads are Different: Inspiring Self-Confidence
Top Five Ways in which Dads are Different: Handling Responsibility
Top Five Ways in which Dads are Different: Disciplining Kids