If we go the conservative route, we have fathers who are in charge of financing the household and mothers who are in-charge of running it. There are less expectations for fathers to get involved in raising the little ones.
However, recent research shows that fathers are as important as mothers as far as child development is concerned. Fatherly engagement is seen as a positive factor in a lot of domains; we discuss three of such domains here.
Physical Development
Children are traditionally linked to mothers most likely because of the nutritional value that mothers directly provide. As mammals, we humans rely on our mothers' breast milk for sustenance during our earliest years. It is perhaps here that the notion that babies can easily survive even without the fathers' direct involvement started.
But recent findings suggest that father involvement also has significant impacts on the physical development of infants. It has been suggested that babies with involved fathers enjoy weight gain and even have improved breastfeeding rates.
Moreover, the total absence of a father has been linked to negative developmental outcomes. A 2013 review showed that infants without fathers developed less ideally. And the psychological impact of these developmental deficiencies persists until adulthood.
Of course, just because fathers are there doesn't mean that families can now neglect healthcare. This is still a serious topic, and parents must be able to secure interventions such as chiropractic that secure natural health for children. Pregnant partners also benefit greatly from such care.
Academic Performance
Performance at school also appears to benefit greatly from paternal involvement. A 2001 survey conducted by the United States Department of Education shows that kids who are close to their involved fathers are 43% more likely to get As in their subjects at school. They are also 33% less likely to repeat a grade level than their without-engaged-dads counterparts. Moreover, These kids also have less probability of acting out in school. Ultimately, those who enjoy close interactions with their fathers are also more likely to enter college and pursue relevant careers.
With these findings, it's very clear that school isn't just the mother's business. If a family wants their kids to do well, the fathers also have to get involved and get their hands dirty.
Social Interactions
That father involvement stops youngsters from acting out in school settings is quite indicative of the positive impact it has on the kids' social lives. In fact, it is seen that with their fathers absent, boys grow up into adults who find it quite challenging to maintain meaningful relationships with others. It's still not clear why this is so, but the link is real and totally undeniable.
Father involvement is really important. It's a good thing that more and more fathers are spending time with their kids these days. Some are even bold enough to be stay-at-home husbands and fathers while their wives work. In light of the findings discussed above, this is a trend that we should very much welcome. In fact, we believe that being open to such a possibility should be among the ways to prepare for responsible fatherhood.
