Top Ways in Which Dads are Different

Dads Are Important for the Integral Development of Kids

Research has revealed that interactions with a father are as important as interactions with a mother in a child's integral development. A father's influence starts to be important from very early on. One study, conducted in Germany, showed that dads who interacted with their kids in sensitive, supportive, and challenging ways, starting from the age of two, continued to have a good rapport with them through their teen years.

Dad is important to a baby's social development 5, 10, and 20 years down the line. Researchers found that kids less attached to their dads at age 5 were more anxious, withdrawn, and less self-confident at age 9. This resulted in lower acceptance by peers and made them less well adjusted at school.

Another study revealed that kids from families where dads work together with children on household chores, proved to be better adjusted and more socially aware. This provides a win-win situation for dads, moms, and kids. It might interest sex-deprived dads that this same research also found that dads who did more housework fared better in their sex lives with their wives.

How Are Dads Different from Moms?

In our culture, mom is looked upon as the expert in child rearing, because she usually is the one to stay home with the baby and takes a more natural intense interest in the baby due to her specific personal experience. Moms and grandmothers often patronize fathers about their role ("isn’t that cute how he tries to change the diaper") or worse; criticize dads outright for their approach to parenting. It’s very important for couples working as a team to understand that yet again, Mars and Venus look at their roles as parents differently. One is not better than the other. In fact, research has revealed that kids develop more completely when the parenting styles of dads and moms complement each other. It is important to understand that fathers parent differently because dads don't always think like moms.

At the same time, motherhood and fatherhood are also "naturally different" and are thus "naturally needed" in a child's life. Remove one parent's core strengths and problems can occur.