Fathers have an important role to play in the lives of their children. Like any parent, their job is to help shape their children into the people they are and will become in the future.
Emotional Development
Fathers offer feelings of security, both emotionally and physically. Children often look to dad to set and enforce the rules, and it’s important to them to make dad proud. When a father is involved in the lives of his children, he helps them grow and strengthen their inner selves. When dads offer support and affection, a child’s social and cognitive development improves. Additionally, involved, supportive, and affectionate fathers instill a sense of self-confidence and well-being. When dad isn’t present or doesn’t offer these things, it’s detrimental to the development of children.
Relationship Building
They don’t just influence your inner self, though, fathers also influence how you build relationships with others as you get older. The way your father treats you influences what attributes and traits that you seek out in others. This isn’t just romantic partners that we’re talking about, also the friends that we choose. All of that hinges on how a father treats his family. He sets the pattern in a home, and that pattern rubs off on his children and will eventually dictate how they relate to other people.
So, think about how you treat people now and how you relate to others. How did your father raise you, and how do the fathers around you raise their children? Do you see a pattern?
Fathers & Their Children
When it comes to girls, they look to dad for emotional support and security. If dad is gentle, affectionate, and loving, then his daughter will seek out those same qualities in a romantic partner when it comes time to date. If dad is lighthearted, valiant, and strong, then that’s the type of partner daughter will seek out. Think about your own past and current partners, do you see your dads traits in any of them? Probably.
For boys, they tend to model themselves after the character their father shows as opposed to seeking out those traits in someone else. They want to gain their father’s approval, and this begins at a very early age. Something that children tend to do is imitate what they see the people around them doing. It’s how we learn how to function. If dad is respectful and caring, then those are the behaviors his son will try to replicate. If dad is absent, the boy will find another figure to learn how to survive. Think about your own habits, traits, and attitudes. Do you find yourself replicating much of your dad’s behavior? It’s only natural.
As Father’s Day approaches, now would be a good time to let your dad know how much you appreciate how he raised you.