Do We Need Dads?

The role of a father has been idealized for years upon years until more recently as society has pushed for women's rights. Though women should undoubtedly have equal opportunities and be treated with equal respect, it has begun to crush the role of a father. It has become more and more common for fathers to be less involved with their children and families. Is this really so bad though? Let look at some data. In "Fathers’ Roles in the Care and Development of Their Children: The Role of Pediatricians", Michael Yogman discusses the different roles fathers play in their family unit especially regarding children.

One of the first points that Yogman brings up is how a father influences the language learning of a baby. The research suggests that mothers have a tendency to use the same words when speaking to their child whereas the father tends to use more new words. This increases the vocabulary of the child as they are beginning to learn to speak.

A father's influence does not stop there, however. Even as the child is grown into their preadolescent years, the involvement of the father has a direct correlation on mental health, behavior problems, and social competence. When a father shows that they care through play and communication, it helps them develop these areas in a healthy way.

When children grow into adolescents, the influence continues. Father involvement decreases the chance for risky behaviors as well as depressive symptoms. It basically helps them feel more secure and safe when the father is present and attentive to their needs.

For girls specifically, they are much less likely to become sexually active at an early age and have teen pregnancies. Part of the reason for this is because they have a safe male role model in their life. Without a healthy relationship with a father, girls tend to have the need to get attention from boys. This can have extremely negative impacts.

Lastly, involved fathers help prepare their children for future families. It almost becomes a domino effect when the father is either absent, abusive, or negligent. This causes the children, particularly the sons, to grow up and act the same way in their future families.

Though the importance of fatherhood has not been stressed in society lately, it doesn't diminish how important fathers truly are. I have been able to analyze some of the effects from my own life from my own father.

My father was and is a great man. He provided for my family incredibly well making sure that we always felt safe and secure. He did this especially well with my older siblings as they were growing up. I noticed it too, but as I was getting older, I began to feel very quiet and unheard from my family members. Because of this, I shut myself out and many of my family did not know how to treat me. As the result, I didn't spend as much time with my dad as I could have.

Though it's only on a small scale, I have noticed that I have a much higher tendency to crave attention from men. I felt like I didn't get that much attention growing up, and so I seek it out and pit my self worth and validation on how they view me.

This being said, my dad was a caring man and our relationship has grown a lot more since I was little. I understand that he cares and I feel safe with him. I know that because of this safe relationship, I have been able to have a lot more positive effects in my life.