Why are fathers important in raising good children?

Question

Right off the bat, I just want to say I'm not asking this because I don't think they are. I want to hear your support of my belief that they are. Why do you think they are?

Answer 1

Fathers are important because Fathers have a powerful influence on the healthy development of their daughters and their sons.

Babies can distinguish their father’s voice from the voice of a stranger by the age of four weeks.
School-aged children show significant gains in intellectual development when their fathers are involved with them as infants.
Involved fathers enrich their daughter’s and son’s self image.
Children who have involved fathers show more sense of humor, longer attention spans, and more eagerness for learning.
Father involvement helps teens to develop a strong sense of who they are and increases their ability to resist peer pressure.
Dads are role models who teach their children to be strong, flexible adults.

Fathers teach sex roles: they are generally more physically active with their sons and more protective of their daughters.
Fathers often think “out of the box” and offer alternative strategies for problem solving.
Dads tend to offer more physical play than mothers, which increases the physical competency of their young children.
When fathers model behaviors that are respectful to women, their sons are more likely to see women as human beings rather than “things” to manipulate. But…fathers who abuse their wives raise sons who are more likely to abuse their wives and children.
Fathers are essential partners who share parenting with the mother of their children.

Fathers who interact with their newborn children are usually more likely to support their wife in her new role as mother.
As a partner, dads can provide balance and be a sounding board or a compass for the family.
Fathers, as an equal parent, can balance the parenting of the mothers through respectful disagreement and healthy support.
Fathers and mothers can work together to communicate and reach good decisions that benefit their children.
Both fathers and mothers need support as they grow into being parents.
Fathers need commitment from their communities in order to succeed as parents.

Communities can provide mentors to guide and support fathers.
Fathers need to be recognized for their contributions to the community.
Community leaders need to include fathers in decisions that concern their children.
Children benefit from learning about the contributions of “average fathers.”
Communities can plan father-child activity days.
Fathers are individuals who are growing and changing with experience and across situations.

Being a father is only one of many roles that men work to balance.
To learn their job as a father, men need room for trial and error.
Fathers who recognize their important contribution to the development of their child express more satisfaction with themselves.
Fathers who can nurture their children report more understanding of emotional situations at their work.
In a unique way, children expand the range and depth of experiences that fathers have.

Answer 2

A healthy Father "figure" or presence is very important to any child. A son needs a good husband, male and father role model. A daughter needs a healthy strong positive relationship with a father to build a lasting one with her husband. A Wife needs a strong loving protector and provider to share the wealth of raising children and their own loving relationship. Too many people "can do it on their own" yet is that really the best way?

I am a very strong independent woman and now a stay at home mom. That was a critical change in my life, from executive to "just mom". My husband really stepped up to make that happen for us . Our whole family is better for this move. It is not easy, yet most times the investments are like trees, it shows it best blooms for the next generation.

Answer 3

I have raised one child w/ out a father and the other w/. I see no difference other than that the one being raised w/ a father is more stubborn than the other because he has someone to lock horns w/. I think that things are more peaceful w/ out the alpha male. We would get thru things and resolve things in a more peaceful way and then I would explain to him why he was wrong or let him figure out why it was wrong on his own. Now this child has two people nagging him.
I actually wish my mate were not so involved and let me be the bad guy. I wish he would be more loving, teach him guy things.....but it is just not that way. In fact looking @ the way I was raised my mom did all the work and dad would just gripe @ me when things got too out of hand. Perhaps I will be more thankful for my husband in later yrs when my littlest needs griping as teens so often do. (Sorry teens but it's true.) My 16 yr old is very well behaved most of the time but he needs it when Doug growls @ him because I have lost control over the situation. But to really answer your question.....no you can raise a perfectly normal child w/ out the dad.

Answer 4

A mother and father give a live example of how relationships work and how to treat the person you partner with. For a girl especially a father gives her an example of what her man should be like, visa versa for the boys. Beware of how parents act the children are watching and learning.

Answer 5

Well in my opinion fathers help teach children self respect and respect for others, they also help by teaching their children how to deal with the opposite sex. I strongly agree that if a father is present in a child's life, then that father should try and be a good role model. I also think that fathers should lead by example, and also spend time with their kids. The more involved a parental unit is whether they are maternal or paternal the more likely a child is to succeed in school, extra ciricular activities and a career.

Answer 6

My father was never in my life and my mom wasn't a great mom, she smoked pot in front of me my entire life and made decisions that were never in my best interest. I know I am a great mother and I am a good person, I have never smoked, never been in trouble with the law. I live my life every day trying to not be like my mother was. A good child can come out of any situation. I am sure having 2 good parents makes this job easier, but not essential.

Answer 7

I believe every child needs a father in there life to become great people anyone who says children dont need fathers dont know what kids needs a child needs to grow up with what fathers teach and the love of a father. just like children need mothers

Answer 8

I want to start off in saying I grew up without a REAL father figure in my life. My father split when I was a baby and hasn't cared about me ever. My mom remarried to my sister's father when I was two or three, I was forced to call him dad. Once my sister was born, he treated me like crap and didn't want me around, he has his own child and I was just a waste of time. My mom divorced him (he found someone else) and he doesn't care one bit about my sister. Now my mom has remarried to a total jack*** and he tried to force my sister and I to call him "dad" out of "respect" I told him (exact words) "When H**L freezes over!" I was 17 and didn't like him, now my sister hates him too, she was a real daddy's girl so she didn't call him "dad" either. Mom didn't force it, now she is still married to this A** and she seems to dislike him very much too but won't divorce him.

Now I am in my own relationship, my fiance is an awsome father to our daughter and I am helping him fight to get back into his sons' lives.

I think a GOOD father figure is very important in raising healthy children (both physically and emotionally). A GOOD MOTHER is very important too.

The reasons I am helping him fight so hard is because I grew up without a father and I know how it is to be told on a daily basis that you father is crap (true or not). There is no telling WHAT his exwife is doing to those kids. She has had SEVERAL addresses over the last six years and also remarried twice. When he FINALLY found her and made contact she said it was HIS fault that he hadn't seen the boys in forever. It is hard to find someone that remarries TWICE and doesn't change her name with the BCSE (required by law) and STILL hasn't changed her name!!!!

She divorce my fiance because she cheated on him with someone else on the belief that she will never have a daughter with him and the stupid woman got pregnant by another man and had ANOTHER boy!!! HAHA!!! Well one day she lets this new husband borrow her car and then reports him for STEALING the car!!!! While he is in jail, she hands him divorce papers. This is the story from my fiance's boys. Then she remarries again. Now she has her income, his income, my fiance's child support for his two boys, and the child support for the third boys and my fiance kids come to US to ask for things they want because they say their mom "can't afford" it. I see FOUR sources of income and she OWNS her home and has a BRAND NEW Jeep! My home has the little bit of income after child support from my fiance and my income and we have a two year old.

After contact was FINALLY made my fiance was calling the boys twice a week, suddenly for the last two months the line is BUSY, he can't get through EVER! I can't WAIT for the lawyer to get a hold of her!!!! We are modifying the visitation to where we have custody of the boys during the ENTIRE summer, or we may decided to be nice and only take them for half the summer. But she WILL comply with the visitation order, there will be NOTHING stopping us from filing contempt of court! We tried to go pick them up last Christmas for his COURT ORDERED visitation and she told him that the boys are NOT coming back home with us. We returned them so as not to cause problems, but she is about to get a RUDE awakening!!!

It is important for a GOOD father and a GOOD mother in raising HEALTHY children (both emotionally and physically).

I just grew up in a home where I was not loved by mother or father. I was a mistake and my mom made sure I knew that. I am doing my BEST to provide a WONDERFUL home for my daughter so she can grow up happy and healthy!!!

Answer 9

This sounds bad, but they aren't, provided there is a strong male role model in the child's life. That is what they need - a strong male role model and it can be a grandfather, a supportive uncle or a family friend that can take on the male role.

Answer 10

The sons have a role model and someone to teach them how to be a man. They also don't have to be embarrassed by talking about puberty with their father whereas they'd be embarrassed talking to their mother.

Answer 11

In a nutshell, moms supply the loving soft side, and dads give them the rough and tough, straight shooter, go getter, and usually are better at discipline.

A good dad though should also be able to show a soft, and loving side (like dads, moms must also be able to show the "dad" side).

I think Parenting is about balance.