Did You Know This About Fathers?

Children with involved, loving fathers do better in school, have healthy selfesteem, exhibit empathy and pro-social behavior, and avoid high-risk behaviors such as drug use, truancy, and criminal activity compared to children who have uninvolved fathers.
     Wade F. Horn and Tom Sylvester. 2002. Father Facts, Gaithersburg, MD: National Fatherhood Initiative.

Over 100 studies on parent-child relationships reported that a loving and nurturing father was as important for a child’s happiness, well-being, and social and academic success as having a loving and nurturing mother.
     Ronald P. Rohner and Robert A. Veneziano. 2001. The importance of father love: History and contemporary evidence. Review of General Psychology 54: 382-405.

Premature infants whose fathers spent more time playing with them had better cognitive outcomes at age three. Michael Yogman et al. 1995. Father involvement and cognitive behavioral outcomes in premature infants.
     Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology 34: 58-66.

Fathers who set appropriate limits and allowed healthy independence tended to rear sons with high academic achievement.
      S.S. Feldman, and K.R. Wentzel, 1990. Relations among family interaction patterns, classroom selfrestraint and academic achievement in preadolescent boys, Journal of
Educational Psychology 82: 813-819.

In a 26 year-long study, the number one factor in developiing empathy was father involvement. Fathers who spent regular time alone with their children raised children who became compassionate adults.
     Richard Koestner et al. 1990. The family origins of empathetic concern: A twenty-six year longitudinal study, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 58: 709-717.

Low-income, unmarried African-American mothers stated that, after themselves, fathers were the most frequent providers of care to young children. A majority of those mothers (53%) indicated that fathers provided solo care to toddlers at least one or two days per week.
     S. Hans et al. 1995. Caregiving in the inner city: A final report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago.

A total of 42% of fathers in blue-collar and service occupations, compared to 18% of fathers in managerial and professional jobs, look after their children while their wives work.
     Lynne M. Casper 1997. My daddy takes care of me! Fathers as care providers. P70-59. Current Population Reports: 1-9.

Higher levels of father involvement in children’s typical routines and activities are associated with fewer behavior problems, higher levels of sociability and a high level of performance among children and adolescents, according to Child Trends.
     Vivian Gadsen and Aisha Ray. 2002. Engaging Fathers: Issues and considerations for early childhood fathers. Young Children 57:32-42.

Fathers are more than just “second adults” in the home. Involved fathers— especially biological fathers—bring positive benefits to their children that no other person is as likely to bring. They have a parenting style different from that of mother and that difference is important in healthy child development.
     David Popenoe, 1996. Life Without Father. New York: The Free Press 163.

Compiled by Bulletin staff from Father Facts by Wade F. Horn and Tom Sylvester. 4th edition (2002). Gaithersburg, MD: National Fatherhood Initiative.