The Importance of Father Involvement

Five Points Regarding the Presence of Fathers

            A goal for most parents is that their children will grow to be intelligent people who breeze their way through middle school, ace exams and ACT’s in high school, and get into prestigious colleges. The best chance of having these “educational outcomes” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.12) is when kids are raised by “involved, caring fathers” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.12 ). Not only do children with active fathers in the home have higher grades but “better verbal skills… intellectual functioning… patience.., and  can handle the stresses and frustrations associated with schooling more readily than children with less involved fathers” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.12 ).

            Psychologically, children have a lot of stressed placed on them. They feel pressure to exceed in all areas of their lives and are better off when taught how to deal with stress, handle their emotions, and avoid criminal behavior. For children with active fathers in the home, higher levels of “self-control…independence…physical and emotional health… and avoidance to drugs, violence, and delinquent behavior” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.13) are reported. Fathers tend to play more with their children than mothers. Playfulness helps children relieve the stress of the day as they rough house with dad.

            Children need to learn how to have proper social skills in various life settings. When children grow up with the interaction of a father they are “more sociable and popular with other children throughout early childhood… are more comfortable exploring the world around them and are more likely to exhibit …pro-social behavior” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.13). Not only do young children show benefits from having active fathers but “as they grow older, have… better social connections with peers” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.12). Having an involved father in the home helps children feel more comfortable and be able to interact with those around them in a healthy way. 

            A father’s role in the home includes protecting his children and spouse from harm, abuse, and maltreatment from within and outside of the family. When a father is involved with the caring for and nurturing of the children, there are “lower levels of child neglect” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.16) mainly because his involvement “reduces the parenting and housework load a mother has to bear and increases the overall parental investments in family life, thereby minimizing the chances that either parent will neglect to care for or to supervise their children” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.16). It is also important for children to live with their biological, married parents. For these children, they are “significantly less likely to be physically abused, sexually abused, or neglected” compared to “children who do not live with their married biological parents” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, pgs.16-17).

There is a great deal of stress placed upon a mother when the father is absent. Because of this, “mothers are almost twice as likely to be directly involved in child maltreatment as fathers” (Rosenberg & Wilcox, 2006, p.16) mainly because they are left with a huge responsibility as they lead the family home by themselves. When a father is present and active in the home, the daily tasks and responsibilities can be shared between the adults and the risk of maltreatment decreases. Children benefit considerably from the presence of a father in the home. 

                                                            Work Cited

Rosenberg, J. & Wilcox, W. B. (2006). The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children. Retrieved from: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/fatherhood .pdf