A new study conducted by the University of Oxford says that fathers who are involved with their children can reduce the risk of behavioral issues. When a father is involved with raising the child, the risk of behavioral problems is reduced after one year.
The study found that the quality of interaction was also important. The more engaged fathers were with the child, the fewer the behavior problems. Fathers who were distracted and less engaged had children who had greater behavioral issues.
Another interesting note about the study was that the father's interactions seemed to have more of an impact on boys. It shows that boys are more influenced by males even from an early age.
So how can we use this information to address the problem? First, it is important for dads to become involved as early as possible in their child's caregiving. The first few months of a child's life are critical. It's important for fathers to bond and attach with their babies and remain involved in their lives.
Building a healthy relationship with a child requires giving kids positive attention. The more positive attention you give to kids, the less energy you have to expend disciplining them. Dads need to spend time with their babies and toddlers to create a healthy bond.
Learning about positive discipline can also be helpful for dads (and any parent). Positive discipline is a great way for parents to form healthy attachments to their children. Positive disicpline emphasizes developing a healthy relationship that models mutual respect and teaches kids problem-solving skills.
Obviously, both parents need to be involved in raising kids. However, if fathers can become more involved at an early age, it looks like there will be more time to play and less discipline needed later on.