Why And How To Involve The Father In The Care Of The Children? – Being Parents

This exclusion generates the fact that many men stop being involved in the care of children  and do not show an interest in taking sides beyond “what has asked them” or what they have observed all along. throughout their lives, through culture or education.

Many studies prove that the father plays an important role in the development of his children. It is therefore necessary that he is involved in  the education of the children,  and not as a way to help the mother, but because in addition to being a shared responsibility, it is essential for the education and child care.

How can the father be involved in the care of his children?

Here are some ideas to make the father feel more involved in the care of his children. In addition to feeling responsible for the education of his children, the father can feel that he is important and valued.

Feed the baby

A baby who is breastfed must of course be fed by its mother. But when the baby drinks from a bottle or starts to eat purees, his dad can also feed him.

It is important to feed the baby because it creates a bond. The baby will learn to trust the person who feeds him, because it meets one of his most basic needs. It is also the time to hug your child, to feel the skin-to-skin contact, to look at themselves and to tell them beautiful things.

On the other hand,  the father, in addition to feeding his child, must learn to prepare the bottle, the mash or the meal he is going to eat, without depending on anyone. Only then will he begin to feel secure and totally responsible.

Bathing and dressing the baby

The dad should be involved from the start in basic baby care, such as changing the diaper, bathing or dressing him. Mothers must allow them to get involved and let them do it alone, without supervision.

The problem for many men is not that they don’t know how to do these kinds of things, but rather that the women in the family see them as incapable since they are constantly correcting them.  But no one is born with a “babysitter” gene. Both father and mother are perfectly capable of learning, being a man or a woman doesn’t make you better or worse.

When the dad participates in the baby’s daily life, he fosters the bond and encourages the role of parents to develop interest in other issues that will follow,  such as making decisions about learning and following the rules set out in the baby. home in children’s education.

Spend time alone with the kids

Fathers should be spending time alone with their children, but not just playing, they should have other types of time. Time for study, going out to do activities together, going for a walk or taking a field trip, reading with them and talking about their stories – these are all examples of ways to spend time together and without a mom.

Dads will thus feel more confident, they will be able to express their personality and share exclusive things with their children, have their secrets.  In this way, fathers will know their children more and vice versa. This bond will encourage curiosity, respect and responsibility.

The importance of the role of the father in the development of children

Fathers play a vital role in the development of children from birth to adulthood. Indeed, many studies have come to the same conclusion:  Children whose fathers are present and participate have both a social and academic advantage over children who have a long-distance relationship with their fathers or who have no relationship with them.

Research conducted at  the University of Maryland  found that children whose fathers were actively involved in their education had better language skills and fewer behavioral problems. Interestingly, this result was found to be true even though the father did not live in the same house as the child.

A study carried out at the University of Illinois found that children whose fathers give them time to find out what they have learned in school, ask them about their social activities and relationships, and have an easier time school than children who do not have this kind of relationship with their father.

This highlights the fact that, according to this research, it doesn’t matter if it is a biological father, it can happen with any adult male (a grandfather, an uncle, a stepfather).