You don't have to be a rocket scientist to observe and conclude that fathers matter and play a crucial role in the life and development of children. A study at the National Library of Medicine shows that fathers present in their children's lives at the age of one have a more quality relationship with the child at nine. A different study by the American Heart Association states that a father's care of an infant significantly lowers infant stress levels, and the consistent presence of a father in 8-9-year-olds is observed in better memory test scores.
So, what is the importance of a Father in a child's life and development? Fathers' quality time with their children plays a significant role in the child's life and development. Studies have confirmed that children with active fathers are physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthier than children without active fathers. Children with active fathers are also more likely to have better grades in school and be contributing members of society in adulthood.
These statements should be backed by studying the facts. Let's look at some of them now.
For a helpful post on understanding what a father is: What is the definition of a Father?
The Father Factor: How Fathers Support Development
Studies produced by The Fatherhood Project led to the collection of 10 facts about father engagement:
Fathers and infants can be equally as attached as mothers and infants. When both parents are involved with the child, infants are attached to both parents from the beginning of life.
Father involvement is related to positive child health outcomes in infants, such as improved weight gain in preterm infants and improved breastfeeding rates.
Father involvement using authoritative parenting (loving and with clear boundaries and expectations) leads to better emotional, academic, social, and behavioral outcomes for children.
Children who feel a closeness to their father are: twice as likely as those who do not to enter college or find stable employment after high school, 75% less likely to have a teen birth, 80% less likely to spend time in jail, and half as likely to experience multiple depression symptoms.
Fathers occupy a critical role in child development. Father absence hinders development from early infancy through childhood and into adulthood. The psychological harm of father absence experienced during childhood persists throughout the life course.
The quality of the father-child relationship matters more than the specific amount of hours spent together. Non-resident fathers can have positive effects on children’s social and emotional well-being, as well as academic achievement and behavioral adjustment.
High levels of father involvement are correlated with higher levels of sociability, confidence, and self-control in children. Children with involved fathers are less likely to act out in school or engage in risky behaviors in adolescence.
Children with actively involved fathers are: 43% more likely to earn A’s in school and 33% less likely to repeat a grade than those without engaged dads.
Father engagement reduces the frequency of behavioral problems in boys while also decreasing delinquency and economic disadvantage in low-income families.
Father engagement reduces psychological problems and rates of depression in young women.
The presence of an active or engaged father plays a significant role in the development of children. For more on the healthy development of children, read: The Father and His Wife.
The No Father Factor: How a fathers Absence Destroys Child Development
An article by Dr. Edward Kruk in Psychology Today lays out the facts of the absence of a father in the life and development of the child.
Children’s diminished self-concept, and compromised physical and emotional security (children consistently report feeling abandoned when their fathers are not involved in their lives, struggling with their emotions and episodic bouts of self-loathing)
Behavioral problems (fatherless children have more difficulties with social adjustment, and are more likely to report problems with friendships, and manifest behavior problems; many develop a swaggering, intimidating persona in an attempt to disguise their underlying fears, resentments, anxieties and unhappiness)
Truancy and poor academic performance (71 percent of high school dropouts are fatherless; fatherless children have more trouble academically, scoring poorly on tests of reading, mathematics, and thinking skills; children from father absent homes are more likely to play truant from school, more likely to be excluded from school, more likely to leave school at age 16, and less likely to attain academic and professional qualifications in adulthood)
Delinquency and youth crime, including violent crime (85 percent of youth in prison have an absent father; fatherless children are more likely to offend and go to jail as adults)
Promiscuity and teen pregnancy (fatherless children are more likely to experience problems with sexual health, including a greater likelihood of having intercourse before the age of 16, foregoing contraception during first intercourse, becoming teenage parents, and contracting sexually transmitted infection; girls manifest an object hunger for males, and in experiencing the emotional loss of their fathers egocentrically as a rejection of them, become susceptible to exploitation by adult men)
Drug and alcohol abuse (fatherless children are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and abuse drugs in childhood and adulthood)
Homelessness (90 percent of runaway children have an absent father)
Exploitation and abuse (fatherless children are at greater risk of suffering physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, being five times more likely to have experienced physical abuse and emotional maltreatment, with a one hundred times higher risk of fatal abuse; a recent study reported that preschoolers not living with both of their biological parents are 40 times more likely to be sexually abused)
Physical health problems (fatherless children report significantly more psychosomatic health symptoms and illness such as acute and chronic pain, asthma, headaches, and stomach aches)
Mental health disorders (father absent children are consistently overrepresented on a wide range of mental health problems, particularly anxiety, depression and suicide)
Life chances (as adults, fatherless children are more likely to experience unemployment, have low incomes, remain on social assistance, and experience homelessness)
Future relationships (father absent children tend to enter partnerships earlier, are more likely to divorce or dissolve their cohabiting unions, and are more likely to have children outside marriage or outside any partnership)
Mortality (fatherless children are more likely to die as children, and live an average of four years less over the life span)
These thirteen points are disturbing, but it is the truth. The sooner we swallow the truth, the quicker we can move on to the solution. Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. Studies show that the behaviors of one generation are often (unless broken) enacted by the next generation (Jessee, V., & Adamsons, K. (2018). Father Involvement and Father-Child Relationship Quality: An Intergenerational Perspective. Parenting, Science and Practice, 18(1), 28. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2018.1405700).
The vicious cycle of a fatherless culture must be broken one father at a time until the future generation is changed by the father's present actions TODAY!
Pillars
Fathers are pillars in their children's emotional, physical, and spiritual development, like mothers. Children look to their fathers for boundaries and rules at a young age. I personally attest to this; I have a two-year-old son at the time of this writing. My two-year-old consistently tests any unclear boundary (especially with his mom); I am consistently laying and enforcing boundaries and rules for him (which also apply to the other children). The saying is true, "If you give an inch, they will take a mile." Consistency is critical for development.
Consistency must be present in the deed first and word second. That adage, "Do as I say, not as I do," is crazy talk. Don't say that! If you don't do it, don't teach it until you 'do, do' it (that's a mouthful)! Consistency in the father's life and message develops a pillar of trust and confidence in the child because they know what is expected. A pillar must be sturdy for it to support. This is true of our lives as fathers; we must be steadfast and sturdy in our character and message; the children are learning as they watch us.
How to Relate to the World
The children are learning how to relate to the world through our consistency or inconsistency. Sons model their father's observed character, and daughters look for their father's character in other relationships (eventually marriage). I don't remember where my wife heard this, but she said, "Be the man you want your daughters to marry." This is true; my daughters will seek a man who resembles me. On the other hand, my sons are those who, at a young age, model their behavior after mine.
Click Here for more on the Father's responsibility regarding being the model.
Conclusion
There is a Father Factor in the health of our children. Studies consistently show that a primary father has a healthy impact on the child's life and development. Fathers have a crucial role in how their children relate to the world. Sons will act like their fathers, and daughters will look to marry someone like their father. How far are you currently in your journey as a father from being the one you want your sons to emulate and your daughters to marry? That's a big question with enormous consequences! How much will your current state of fatherhood cost your family in the long run?
Related Questions
Why is the father figure so important in a child's life? The father figure plays a significant role in the child's life and development. This is God's design. If it takes a male and a female to make a child, then it logically reasons that it takes a male and a female to raise a healthy child.
What is the role of the father in the life of a child? A father is a man who lovingly invests in his children, instructing them toward maturity at every stage of life. The father's role is to lovingly move the child to maturity in every stage of life through intentional and consistent instruction. For more on this, see, What is the definition of a Father?
How important is the father's presence in a child's life? A father's presence in a child's life cannot be overstated, and it's essential. Studies show a correlation between a child's physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being and the father's presence. The father's intentional presence and quality over quantity are also important in these statistics. Studies show that a father who doesn't live with the child can positively impact their children if they are intentional with their time.
What happens if you grow up without a dad? Studies show that growing up without a father is challenging and will impact who you are as an individual. However, this unfortunate damage can be mitigated with the role of a father-like mentor. Someone who is not a biological father can have a tremendous impact on the future life of a fatherless child. Some examples are teachers, bus drivers, coaches, mentors, family friends, religious leaders, etc.
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