LCO Child Support Program | May 10, 2019
Tags: Resources | LCO Child Support Program

What is the 'Father Effect'?

What is the Father Effect?

The Father Effect, a life’s work, memoir or biography from John Finch on why he dedicated his life to helping families understand how to heal the father wound.

According to www.fatherly.com, The Father Effect shows up in two different ways: good things happen when he’s involved, and not-so-good things happen when he’s not.  We are also learning that supporting dads (and father figures) in their parenting role and giving them plenty of help and encouragement increases their involvement. Thanks to relatively new research, we now know that dads who are actively involved with their kids are happier, less depressed, healthier, less likely to commit crimes or abuse drugs or alcohol, and tend to be more satisfied in their jobs and have more successful careers.

Here are just a few examples of the effects on children of having (or not having) an involved father.

  • Birth to 6 months:  the more actively involved the father is, the higher the babies’ score on mental and motor development tests.
  • Babies whose dads do a lot of everyday childcare activities such as feeding, changing diapers, giving baths, and dressing, handle stressful situations better than babies whose dads aren’t as involved.
  • Some researchers have linked high levels of father involvement with higher math scores in school and to generally higher-than-age-level scores on verbal intelligence tests. Kids with involved dads are also more likely to go to college.
  • Active fathering seems to be positively correlated with children’s increased social adjustment and competence, having more friends, and to higher levels of self-esteem.
  • Children with actively involved dads manage their emotions better, are less likely to act out violently, and are less likely to start smoking or drinking or to become a teen parent, according to studies by Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
  • Father’s mental health affects his offspring. Fathers’ parenting-related stress when their children are infants negatively affect those children’s cognitive and language development at age two or three, according to research just published in the journal Infant and Child Development. In addition, toddlers with depressed fathers have less self-control and are less cooperative in fifth grade than toddlers whose dads aren’t depressed, says Michigan State researcher Tamesha Harewood. Interestingly, the dad’s depressive symptoms seem to be more influential than the mother’s.

Top 5 Things To Do with Your Children

  1. Be Active:  One of the best things you can do with your children is to get out and be active with them.  According to www.Fatherly.com, the best activities while getting active include; hiking, biking, canoeing, fishing, rock climbing and camping.  These particular activities require teamwork, achieving a common goal, effective communication, and relying on one another to reach the desired location.  The bond created through a weekend camping, hiking through a 5 mile trail, or biking 20 miles along the trails of the local National Forest, are highly memorable moments.
  2. Build Something:  This is a great opportunity to pass on knowledge, sharing what was learned from father and mother, or aunts and uncles.  The introduction and utilization of tools can be extremely fruitful for both parent and child as it relates to long-term skill development for a particular task.  I’m sure we can all remember a particular time with mom, dad, aunt, or uncle helped us build something; perhaps, a tree fort, bird house, or help on that fixer-upper car.
  3. Prepare a Meal:  According to Katie Lee, Food Network’s co-host on The Kitchen shares details of preparing meals with her father and mother, as some of her most prominent memories and those of which have crafted her current passion for food.  Shopping together for ingredients, putting together all of the delicious foods, then, eating the most beautiful masterpiece ever created is by in large the best part. A parent and child sharing a meal is one of the most intimate opportunities for a parent to connect with their child.  Some of the best discussions derive from a dinner table conversation.
  4. Learn something from your child:  This is a topic recommended by the Child Development Institute, whereas you have your child teach you something.  If your child wants to teach you how to play tag, Red Rover, play a particular mobile application game on your tablet or phone, the goal is to allow them to teach you something significant to them.  
  5. Volunteer Together:  These type of activities introduce an entirely different dynamic.  You’re in a position to assist those in need, and provide assistant and support to those less fortunate.  The attributes shown include, time management, leadership, communication, team work, small changes can make a big impact, gratitude and empathy, to name a few.  These are very important aspects for a child to learn in their early years, and to be modeled by a parent, make it much more impactful.

CONCLUSION
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Fathers and father figures, matter.  A lot. However, we have a long, long way to go before they’re given the respect, acknowledgment, and support they (and their children) deserve. “Despite robust evidence of fathers’ impact on children and mothers, engaging with fathers is one of the least well-explored and articulated aspects of parenting interventions,” wrote Catherine Panter-Brick, professor of anthropology, health, and global affairs at Yale University. “It is therefore critical to evaluate implicit and explicit biases against men in their role as fathers manifested in current approaches to research, intervention, and policy.”

In short, fathers and father figures can make a dramatic long-term, positive, impact on children.  The impacts can stem far beyond that of the classroom, and far into social development capacities; which can include self-esteem, handling stress, vocabulary, self-confidence, leadership, teamwork and other high value characteristics required to be a healthy and productive young adult.  

The Lac Courte Oreilles community provides a great deal of opportunities to interact with your children.  We encourage you to review our list of resources on the LCO Child Support - Resources page to find opportunities to engage with your child in one of these activities, whether it is; being active, building something, preparing a meal, learning something from your child, or volunteering together.  

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