A father is a figure of support, strength, and unconditional love in a child’s life. Not only that, but fathers are also role models children look towards for guidance. Later on, children copy their behavior and try to be like their father. Research proves children who grow up without fathers suffer in terms of growth. A father’s presence is highly important in a child’s life due to several reasons.
Why is a Father-Child Bond Important?
A Father Teaches His Children Social Etiquette
Countless researches and studies have proven that children imitate their parents. One such research was conducted by Michigan State University which concluded that the way a father behaves with their neighbors, relatives, elders, parents, and even people that they meet on the street, teaches a child the way he needs to behave in the future. If you treat a particular person with respect, the child will understand that this specific person deserves respect.
Another very important thing is the way you treat people you meet on the street. If you treat strangers with kindness, even people that are of a different social status than yourself, your children will learn to be kind. If you are aloof with people, they will grow up to be arrogant and consider themselves above other people.
The Presence of a Father Makes Children Strive to Succeed
Since children look up to their father as a role model, they aim to get his approval. This makes them strive to succeed in everything in life. Children that are close with their fathers are seen to be hard workers. Having a “fatherly figure”, whether biological or not, can make a huge difference in a child’s development.
Children with fathers are more likely to stay away from things their father considers wrong. This is because they don’t want to disappoint you. All of this means, a single sentence of affirmation out of your mouth, can have a very positive effect on your child’s choices. This is why a father is important for a child. “I love you.” “You’re doing great.” “I’m so proud of you.” All these can make children feel competent in life, thus giving them confidence, and making them want to be better so you will always feel proud of them.
This may be one of the reasons that children with fathers are less likely to go towards criminal acts and substance abuse.
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Children With Fathers Are Less Likely to Move Towards Crime
Research is yet to prove the reason this happens, however, there is no denying it. Maybe it’s because children feel responsible and answerable towards their father. It could be that they don’t want to disappoint them. Children who don’t have a father or an authoritative figure in their life can just deviate away from the right path since there is no resistance to stopping them.
Children behave because they are mindful of a dominant figure in their life. This is why children need to have fathers. If they do something wrong, you won’t like it, and they will be punished. Knowing you have a consequence to your action, makes children realize that they can’t always get away with things by being a rebel.
Having a Father Figure Helps Reduce Substance Abuse
A lot of young adults turn towards substance abuse when they feel like things are getting hard. A father provides emotional support in tough times and is somebody you can always rely on. Children that have positive relationships with their fathers-figures, which may not necessarily be biological, are less likely to turn to drugs.
They can withstand pressure and hardship that make other children in their circumstances buckle. A lot of this comes from a feeling of shelter, and acceptance that a father provides. This is why children need to have fathers.
Take a simple example. In one case, a father is present with his child and in the other case, the father is not there. In both cases, the family is not able to meet different types of needs. If the father is not present, the child is likely to go for substance abuse. On the other hand, if a father is present, he would not only stop but provide emotional support and comfort which will be helpful in the child not getting to substance abuse.
Girls Look Towards Their Fathers for Emotional Security
In these times, with the changing society, little girls need their fathers even more than ever. They look towards their fathers for emotional support. Research proves that women that grow up with positive relationships with their fathers are more confident in all aspects of life.
On the other hand, girls with distant and aloof fathers are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem and emotional issues. A girl usually puts all men into her life into a mold cast by her father. If a man has a healthy, loving, and supportive relationship with his daughter, she will look for men that offer the same support and love.
Girls who have lost their fathers, or those that grow up with very distant fathers, are more likely to settle in toxic relationships. Since they didn’t have the emotional support they needed from their father, they settle for any man that gives them that sense of security. A lot of these go for older men, and usually have their feelings exploited. This is why a father-children relationship is important. Moreover, no one is there to guide them about which man is right and which is not.
Other than that, women with loving fathers are seen to be more confident in their social and educational life and even their careers. Boys learn how to treat their spouse from the way their father treats their mother. They project the same behavior in future relationships. As such, you must treat their mother with love and respect. Respect is the bare minimum even if you don’t live together anymore.
In rare circumstances, sometimes the children may seem to learn the opposite of their father, particularly when they are doing anything wrong.
A Father Helps His Son Build Self-Esteem
Numerous researches in child development have brought us to the conclusion that a father is important for a young boy’s self-esteem. No matter how much a mother tries, there are some things that only a father can give his children. One such thing is a sense of belonging and confidence in society. This is the importance of a father-child relationship.
Acceptance from a father figure can give children a sense of competence. Having the father on their side makes them think they have a safe place to run to. Even if you’re not able to be a part of their life in later years, the memory of those years of support will always be a source of strength for them. If a father isn’t able to provide anything much, the thought of this bond is enough to make any person more confident in himself.
Boys who grow up without their fathers tend to be bullied at school because they have never felt a sense of security from their families.
Children Need a Father to Be Present
Children, both boys, and girls need their father to be present in their lives. They need to see you interact with them, and the people around you.
You need to be present in their education, their social lives, their extracurriculars, and even their hobbies. They need to spend time with you, share hobbies with you, and overall just be able to talk about things. This is because it is important to have a strong father-children relationship.
A strong father-children relationship will give them the happiness that you are always willing to listen to them without judgment. In a world that will hold every single word that comes out of their mouth, against them, your non-judgmental ear will always be a source of comfort.
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Conclusion
Although emphasis has always been placed on mother-children relationships, the father-child bond is also quite important. Fathers were once said to be providers and excluded from the emotional development of the child. Recent studies prove this wrong. Children learn important life lessons from their fathers and their support can give a child the confidence they need to succeed in life. Therefore, there is a very strong need for father-children relationships.