Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there. Fascinating article on how important Fathers are in their child's development. You can read the full article here.
Loving and involved fathers have a positive impact on the healthy growth and development of their children. When caring fathers are involved in raising their children, incidences of child abuse and neglect are greatly reduced, as is the number of children who grow up living in poverty. Active and involved dads help improve prenatal and infant health and breastfeeding rates, and have an impact on teen pregnancy reduction and other risky behaviors later in a child’s life. When both parents are involved in the child’s education, that child is more successful in school.
The positive influences that dads have on children and families are immeasurable and include, but certainly are not limited to the following areas, as listed by www.fatherhood.org:
Reduction in child abuse and neglect: Children living in single-parent homes have double the risk of suffering physical, emotional or educational neglect, and are more likely to be the victims of physical and sexual abuse.
Reduction in poverty: Studies show that children who grow up with a father in the home are less likely to live in poverty. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America live in homes where the biological father is absent. Single-parent families are more likely to receive welfare or food stamps and some type of housing subsidy. A child with a nonresident father is 54 percent more likely to be poorer than his or her father.
Improved prenatal and infant health: Infant mortality rates are 1.8 times higher for infants of unmarried mothers than for married mothers. Unmarried mothers are less likely to obtain prenatal care and are more likely to have a low birth-weight baby than those where the father of the baby is involved throughout the pregnancy and in prenatal care.
Improved breastfeeding rates: Breastfeeding rates increase when the father is involved! Expectant fathers often act as breastfeeding advocates to their partners and can play an important role in the decision to breastfeed. Studies show that the likelihood of a baby being breastfed increases with the father’s knowledge of the health benefits of breastfeeding.
Reduction in crime: Teenagers, particularly boys, who grow up in a single-parent household are at higher risk for delinquency than those children who grow up in a two-parent household. A study of 13,986 women in prison showed that more than half grew up without their father; 425 grew up in a single-mother household, and 16 percent lived with neither their mother nor their father. Children who grow up without a father are more likely to use drugs and alcohol and smoke cigarettes than those who grow up in a two-parent household.
Improved educational outcomes: Fathers continue to have a positive impact on the education of their children. Studies show that children with involved fathers do better in school and are more likely to get A’s. Two-parent households are more likely to read to their child every day and are more involved in their child’s school activities. Children with “absent” fathers are more likely to repeat a grade and are twice as likely to drop out of school.
In celebration of Father’s Day, happy Father’s Day to my dad and to every dad! You continue to make a difference in the lives of children everywhere. Healthy Families Cayuga/Seneca is calling on dads to continue your involvement with your children, or to become more involved with your children, because every day is Father’s Day when you’re a dad. We support and encourage the involvement of dads and father figures in an effort to improve and enhance child development outcomes and improved family success. We are proud that we currently have more than 30 fathers actively participating in our program, and know that caring and involved dads have immeasurable positive influences on the lives and well-being of children and families.
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