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Talking With Kids
About Tough Issues Special Focus on Dads
10
Ways to be a Better Dad | What
It Takes to be a Dad
Playing An Active Role | Introduction
Playing
an active role in your childrens' lives is more important than
you ever could have imagined . . .
 The Positive Effects of Father Involvement:
- "A
study using a national probability sample of 1, 250 fathers showed
that children whose fathers share meals, spend leisure time with
them, or help them with reading or homework do significantly better
academically than those children who do not."
- Source:
Cooksey, Elizabeth C. and Michelle M. Fondell. "Spending
Time with His Kids: Effects of Family Structure on Fathers' and
Children's Lives." Journal of Marriage and the Family 58
(August 1996): 693-707.
-
"A
study using a nationally representative sample of 1, 600 10-13 year
olds found that children who shared important ideas with their fathers
and who perceived the amount of time they spent with their fathers
as excellent had fewer behavior problems. . .than their peers who
did not share important ideas or view the amount of time they spent
with their fathers as excellent."
- Source:
Williams, Malcolm V. "Reconceptualizing Father Involvement."
Masters Thesis Georgetown University, 1997.
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".
. .for girls, studies link a sense of competence in daughters-especially
in mathematics and a sense of femininity-to a close, warm relationship
between father and daughter."
- Source:
Ranin, N. and G. Russell. "Increased Father Participation
and Child Development Outcomes." Fatherhood and Family Policy.
Eds. M.E. Lamb and A. Sagi. Hillside Lawrence Eribaum, 1983: 191-218.
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"A
study of parent-infant attachment found that fathers who were affectionate,
spent time with their children, and overall had a positive attitude
were more likely to have securely attached infants."
- Source:
Cox, M.J. et al. "Prediction of Infant-Father and Infant-Mother
Attachment." Developmental Psychology 28 (1992): 474-483.
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"In
a study of 75 toddlers it was found that. . .children whose fathers
spent a lot of time with them and who were sensitive to their needs
were found to be better adapted than their peers whose fathers were
not as involved and were less sensitive."
- Source:
Esterbrooks, M. Ann and Wendy A. Goldberg. "Toddler Development
in the Family: Impact of Father Involvement and Parenting Characteristics."
Child Development 55 (1984): 740-752.
The
Absence of Quality Time:
- "Preschool
children watch an average of twenty-eight hours of television
per week; teenagers watch an average of 21 hours of television
per week. By contrast, teenagers spend only 35 minutes per week
talking with their fathers."
Source:
Bennett, William J. The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators:
Facts and Figures on the State of American Society. New York:
Simon and Schuster,
1994. 102-103.
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"Almost
20 percent of sixth through twelve graders have not had a good conversation
lasting for at least 10 minutes with at least one of their parents
in more than a month."
- Source:
Peter L. Benson, The Troubled Journey: A Portrait of 6th-12th
Grade Youth (Minneapolis: Search Institute, 1993): 84.
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"In
a study using 1,250 fathers of school aged children, it was found
that fathers eat only half of their breakfasts and dinners together
with their children."
- Source:
Cooksey, Elizabeth C. and Michelle M. Fondell. "Spending
Time with His Kids: Effects of Family Structure on Fathers' and
Children's Lives." Journal of Marriage and the Family 58
(August 1996): 693-707.
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