Importance of Fathers in a Child’s Life

All of us will agree on the fact as to how important the role of a father is for a healthy child development. Nowadays, with the pace at which technology is advancing, social life is dwindling, and women are becoming part of the workforce, it has become increasingly important for fathers to make their presence felt for the guidance and protection of the child, especially in the formative years. It has a positive effect in various ways as children with fathers tend to have less of social and behavioral problems, produce better academic results and are more responsible financially. Let’s look at the importance of fathers in a child’s life.

Emotional Well-Being: Fathers are vital to the emotional and psychological well-being of a child, undoubtedly. It is known that affectionate fathers prove to be better caretakers, protectors, and disciplinarians. These children are always better off regarding cognitive development, sociability, language and academic achievement. They also have good self-esteem and tend to be more confident.

Influence Relationships: Fathers also play an imperative role when it comes to how a child deals with his relationships, whether it is with his/her siblings, spouse or friends. The dynamics developed with the father in the primary years of a child is what he/she will replicate in other relationships as well. This is exactly why girls look for a spouse who is more or less like her dad while boys wish to marry someone who would get along with their mother.

Family Roles: As more and more women are becoming part of the workforce, the roles within the family are also changing. The society no longer accepts the traditional roles that mothers and fathers used to play as the child-bearer and bread earner, respectively. This is where the fathers need to make sure that they can maintain balance, which the child will carry forward when he faces with family dynamics.

Behavioral Problems: Children who have loving and caring fathers are less likely to develop behavioral problems. They are less prone to get involved in alcohol and drug abuse. They are equally important to play the role of caregivers, financial supporters and role models for emotional behavior. This is not only the job and duty of a mother – to nurture a healthy relationship with the child.

The Marriage Factor: It has been seen that when spouses have a good, strong relationship amongst themselves, a child is likely to be more confident, kind and loving in nature. The differences between the couple allow them to fill the gap that a child might feel from one of the parents. In this way, they can complement each other and build upon the other’s strengths, rather than placing the responsibility of parenting on the other.

Thus, we can see how fathers are as important as the mothers, not only in the early development but also during the later stages of a child’s life. Defining father’s love is not easy but being a good father is easy – love your child!