Father's in the Home

 

    For this week's blog post, I have decided to focus on the article “The Importance of a Father in a Child’s Life.” This article was written by the Pediatrics Associates of Franklin. This article starts off with the sentence, “anyone can father a child, but being a dad takes a lifetime.” I really like this sentence because, in my opinion, it takes a really special man to be a good father. There are so many men out there that don’t deserve to be a father and their children, likewise, deserve to have a good father in their lives. Whether we notice it or not, fathers have a great impact on a child’s life that can shape how we become.

    Father’s and emotional development. Just like how as children, we turn to our mothers for nurturing and care, children look to their fathers to lay down the rules and to enforce them. Children also tend to look to their fathers for a feeling of security, both physically and emotionally. Usually, when little kids are scared from a nightmare or other irrational fears, they turn to their fathers for that feeling of peace and protection. This builds a bond that helps trust from and builds the relationship between father to children. Children often want to make their fathers proud. When fathers are involved it promotes inner growth and strength. The article states that studies have shown that “when fathers are affectionate and supportive, it greatly affects a child’s cognitive and social development. It also instills an overall sense of well-being and self-confidence.” This is important because, without a supportive father in the home, it doesn’t show the children the love that they deserve as well as the development they need as humans. 

    The next point I would like to touch on is fathers and the bar they set for their relationship with others. Based on how fathers interact with other people, their children are always watching them. The way a father treats his child will influence what he or she looks for in other people. Any relationship a person has whether it be friends, lovers, or spouses will all be chosen based on how the child perceived the meaning of the relationship with his or her father. Without the help of a supportive and loving father, we wouldn’t know what a healthy relationship would be. 

    This leads me to my next point of the importance of fathers. The relationship between a father and his daughters. If a man is a good father, he shows his daughter what a good relationship with a man is like. He shows his daughters how she should be treated based on how he treats her and how she sees him treat her mother as well. If a father is loving and gentle, his daughter will look for those qualities when she is dating and when she eventually picks her future spouse. I have seen in my own life that when I see my father treat my mother like a queen, I want that in my own life. All throughout my life, my dad will frequently bring my mom home flowers for no reason. When I was in high school my dad would do the same so I could look for the good qualities in boys that I was interested in. It didn’t always need to be flowers but it showed me that he cared. 

    Now to talk about the relationship between fathers and their sons. Unlike girls who model their relationships off of their father's example, boys model themselves after their fathers. With a father in the home, a boy can hopefully see the right way to treat a woman based on how he sees his father treat his mother and his sisters. As children, we subconsciously imitate the behavior around us. So, if a father is respectful to those around him, more likely than not, their sons will grow to be the same way. I can say as a woman, I often look at how a man treats his mother to know if he is a good guy. It also reflects how he will treat me if we ended up together. 

    I always knew having a father in the house was really beneficial to me and my growth as a person but I never took a moment like I am now to step back and actually appreciate what fathers do for us. 


Sources: 

https://www.pediatricsoffranklin.com/resources-and-education/pediatric-care/the-importance-of-a-father-in-a-childs-life/


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