Importance of Father’s Influence on Children

A father’s attachment to his child influences later child development Strong parent-child attachment during the first two years has been shown by research to be associated with social skills, cognitive skills (such as speech and academic performance), and child behavior. In this way, fathers influence the future of their children. These associations between strong father attachment to children and subsequent child development are stronger the more fathers are involved in parenting. This suggests that an involved father can make a big difference in a child’s life. Fathers have a great influence on children’s grades Children of 2-year-old primary care fathers do better on school tests. (The same goes for mothers.) Anne Martin and her team found that mothers and fathers who cared for their children when they were 2 years old scored higher in math and language when they were 5. I found Some researchers have attempted to distinguish the influence of fathers on academic performance from other broader family and community influences. The bond remains. Caregiver fathers contribute to their child’s language and cognitive development. Fathers influence children’s social skills A large UK study found that when mothers said their fathers were involved with their 7-year-old children, the children reported being closer to their fathers at 16 and less contact with the police as teenagers. more likely. Other researchers found an even longer association: Fathers who interacted with their six-year-old children seemed to have a positive effect on their children’s emotions more than 25 years later, in their 30s. Higher paternal involvement in childhood also predicts offspring’s social interaction styles, marital relationships, parenting skills, and mental health in adulthood. The opposite is also shown. Low father involvement and a child’s low attachment to his father predict future psychological and social problems. Ross Park and his colleagues found that a physically playful and loving father-son relationship predicted the subsequent popularity of the son within his peers. Other researchers found that fathers who were more sensitive to their five-year-old children’s emotional states had more socially competent children three years later. Researchers examined whether fathers and mothers have different effects on children’s social development. These influences are very difficult to separate from the many roles that mothers and fathers play in different families. However, researchers found that children who reported being firmly attached to their parents were more likely to report positive friendships than those who were not. Mother-father relationships affect children Over the last 20 years, a lot of research has been done on how families affect relationships with other families and children. Research has shown that mothers influence parent-child relationships, and fathers influence mother-child relationships. An important influence on the relationship between father and child is the extent to which the mother maintains this relationship and the quality of the relationship between father and mother. The opposite is also true, both the father-mother-father relationship affects the mother-child relationship, but to a lesser extent. This may be because the mother’s behavior is determined by clearer conventions and role definitions, whereas the father’s role and behavior depend heavily on the mother’s beliefs. The mother’s mental health also affects the parent-child relationship, and the father’s mental health affects the mother-child relationship. In some cases, the reaction may be compensatory. For example, when mothers suffer from postpartum depression, fathers often interact more positively with their children.