The Role Of The Father In Parenting

Dad, like mom, is a central figure in your child’s emotional and physical development.  The presence of the father during the upbringing helps children to develop autonomy to encourage themselves to assume responsibilities and also to discover the world from freedom.

Paternity contains a series of very important functions in the lives of children, which can be exercised by the child’s father, the mother, a relative or in some cases an educational institution.

Before the baby is born, the relationship that each parent has with their child is materialized through the mother, who is naturally attached to the child during the gestation period. At that time, the father’s role is to support the mother, who undergoes many changes during this stage.

There is also a bond between the father and the baby when it is in the womb, especially if the father or the father figure of the child is actively involved in this period.

Already when the baby is born, the father has the opportunity to strengthen the bond with his son. This attachment relationship between the father and the baby is nurtured by small acts that involve the father actively participating in simple tasks such as, for example, holding the baby in his arms and putting him to sleep . Each time he does this, the baby associates his father’s smell and voice with moments that make him feel safe and at ease.

In this first stage of the baby’s growth, it is very important that mom leaves space for dad so that he can also participate in the upbringing of the child, because when the father actively participates in these small daily tasks, his baby will recognize him as a figure. of attachment, as a person who is trustworthy, loves and cares for him. These kinds of feelings help you build your self-esteem on a solid foundation.

The role of the father is necessary as a third space apart from the “ideal world” between mother and son. This “third place” must be present, to be and to grow.

The father is a model for the child

The figure of the father, who is sometimes occupied by men who are not the biological parents of the child, does not go unnoticed in the eyes of the children. Their presence, their place and their actions also nourish and mark the personality of the child who is learning things every day.

Offering a safe space is one of the most important functions of the parent, who is a figure of support and safety for the child. This interaction helps the child to develop his personality with the confidence necessary to adapt to the outside world.

Taking on the constant challenge of being a present and active parent in the emotional and social education of your children will make a difference. This is a wonderful challenge that not only helps the child to grow but also helps you to grow as a human being and contributes to growing in a balanced way, since one of the functions of the father is to offer his son a code that serves as a compass in the moral aspect.

A present parent makes a difference

A present and active father is a central figure in the life of a son. If the bond is close, then the father is a person who can also transmit values, set limits and be listened to by the child, who will be guided by a father who is increasingly involved in housework and assumes along with the mother the role of provider of livelihood.

The authoritarian and distant role that some parents assumed in the past has now been left behind, to play a closer, warmer and equally exemplary role. Today’s fathers share many of the chores with their wives, which includes housework, providing sustenance, paying the bills, and also being an active actor in raising children.

And the men who take on all those roles – those who also change diapers, wash clothes and feed the baby, as well as helping to support the household financially – play a fundamental role in the emotional development of the child.

Children who have a father who is very involved in their upbringing tend to function better in life than those who did not have a father figure during their childhood development. In addition, if the fathers who during their children’s infancy were companions of the mother and the baby, and a counter-figure of a female model who tend to be overprotective, they will also have a key influence in adolescence.

In fact, the father figure will be a fundamental pillar during adolescence if it was during childhood, unlike children who grow up without a father figure who usually show disorders in adolescence because they do not find an identity . These types of young people suffer from insecurity, loneliness and depression, which can be reflected in school failure, drug use and vagrancy.