Mothers’ and father’s equal role and participation in looking after a child is active parenting. Our society works on a mother’s perception as a primary caregiver and a father as a secondary caregiver from earlier days.
Father is viewed as a person who protects family members and makes the family financially stable. But, there are some more crucial roles of a father in raising a child. Father’s role in parenting reflects a child in their adulthood.
“The stat of World’s Fathers 2019 finding shows that 85% of fathers love to involve in parenting and give their best for caring for newborns.”
Positive parenting by fathers contrasts with mothers’ way of parenting. They do not have a strict schedule and active involvement in the baby’s naptime and eating time.
When a baby is asleep at nighttime, fathers do not get up as frequently as mothers to comfort their child. The ratio of comforting babies by father and mother at night and feeding them is 2:4. Fathers spend very little time consoling woke-up babies and often give a quick look at mom and baby and go back to sleep.
Dad’s role in parenting majorly focuses on defining personality, emotional development, cognitive development, brain development, and academic and social success. In contrast, most moms aim to make their baby physically and emotionally strong.
Why do Kids Prefer Dads over Mom?
Since a mom spends most of their time with their little kiddo, the baby calls mom when they need. Fathers are more into children when they start to recognize a person.
Babies are fond of playing, and this is the moment when dads shine. Apart from sleeping and eating, a baby mostly plays, and during the moment, fathers are the ones to be their side. Dads are the ones to give them outside tours and take them to walk. So, whenever a child is about to play or wants to go out, they favor dad’s presence.
Involved fatherhood is linked to better outcomes on nearly every measure of a child’s life, from child development to mental and educational achievement to self-esteem and pro-social behavior.
Roles of Father in Parenting a Child
A confident adult is the outcome of a father’s parenting. Dads can comfort a baby as their mothers do. They prefer either moms or dads as per their needs. I have enlisted a few fathers’ roles, parenting skills and discussed the impact of fathers on a child; take a look at a father’s role and responsibility in parenting for child development:
1. Father’s Comfort as a Companion
Though fathers spend significantly less time with their kiddo than moms, they are a great companion for babies. Dads mostly play with babies and sometimes take them out to get fresh air. Apart from playtime, they are present on occasions such as New Year, Birthdays, and Christmas.
Love is all about time spent with loved ones. When dads are around babies, they make sure they invest most of their time making babies engaged and happy. You can solve puzzles together, build a house or cars with building blocks, play with colors, and make the house messy.
As a father, the more you act as a friend or as a brother to your little one, the more you can accompany your kiddo. You don’t have to be a mom to exercise good parenting skills, be the person you are and strengthen your relationship with your baby.
2. Father’s Role for Building Relationships
Fathers are soft and tough to a child based on the circumstances. Your child’s definition for forming a relationship either as a friend, lover, or person depends on your influence.
A grown-up child who is comforted by fathers is not always sweet and kind with others. When they don’t meet the expectation of people, they might act with aggression.
For instance, when a girl tries to form a relationship as a lover, they look after a man who portrays their dad. Also, girls give a thought if her father accepts her date partner before forwarding the relationship. Thus, a father’s bond with a child determines a relationship with others.
3. Confident Father with a Confident Child
Involve fathers in parenting a boy and girl to build up confidence and brain development. Dads are more like a friend and mentor than a strict father because kids form an intimate relationship.
You should teach them to love themselves, be proud of who they are, and believe in what they are up to. Fathers involved with their children believe in themselves and give their best to succeed, which I call confidence. The feeling of confidence helps a child to succeed at home, school, playground, and work.
4. Father as a Provider
Fathers as a head of a family are considered as ‘bread-giver’ for a family. You are responsible for making economical background strong and fulfill the basic needs of a family member. Not just that you should be a strong figure for the physical and emotional development of a baby.
The more you get close to your kiddo, they learn to be responsible and independent. Never judge parenting as a sexist responsibility. Boys and girls who are more attached to their dads understand the importance of financial and spiritual needs to intensify family bonds. Your parenting teaches babies to be strong, independent, and self-sufficient adults.
5. Engaging Fatherly as a Role Model
Fathers are influential role models for their children. You can set yourself as an example for spreading love. Boys especially hide their emotions and find it challenging to share true feelings. But, if you show love for their little ones, they will be able to express their emotions.
Set moral principles regarding work, child, and family time for your baby. Give more preference to your family and work. For example, if your friend invites you to go out or to a party, kindly reject it before completing your office work. Such habits instruct your child to be ethical.
Being a father, you are a responsible, loving, and caring husband, so respect your woman. By doing so, you are a role model as a husband for your boy. Further, your daughter also seeks a partner who is honorable as you.
6. Father is a Good Playmate
Playing toys along with a child is another crucial parenting skill for dads. Father’s involvement during playtime helps in the cognitive development of a child. Never be in a short of time to play with your baby. Leave singing, dancing, and singing rhymes for babies to moms, and you be present for physical games.
Play balls with them, put them on your back and do push-ups to give them an experience of horse-riding, and play video games when they are preschoolers. Fathers playing these sorts of games train babies concerning win and lose situations.
Make funny sounds, copy your kid, and babbles as the baby does to communicate with your kiddo resulting in language development. As a playmate, you put friendship with your child onward.
7. Father Enriching Kids Ability
Always praise your child for their success, and when they do something terrible, correct them politely and with patience. Also, do not forget to praise the hard work of your kids no matter what the result might be. Surround your kids with positive parental words and an environment; make them believe they are achievers instead of failures.
You should never use harsh comments for your kid like, “You’re useless,” “You’re capable of nothing,” or “You always fail.” Such comments make your kid depressed, and they never believe in themselves.
Fathers are the ones to ban criticism and polish a child’s strength to boost self-esteem.
Conclusion
Parenting is a central role for a father to form a healthy family. Mothers and fathers share equal liability for child wellbeing. Little ones look for engaging fatherly activities as they do for mom and all you have to do is give them time and your love.
Father’s role in parenting can be to teach his child about companionship, building relationships, emotional development, language development, and boosting confidence for their kids. They are also a provider, role model, and a good playmate.
Yes, a father, by exercising positive parental skills, can comfort a child and work for the child’s wellbeing.
