If you watch almost any show on television that involves a father these days, it’s common to see a dad who is portrayed as an idiot when it comes to his children and family. In real life, many men have been told straight up: You don’t really parent; you babysit.
It is estimated that people spent more than $15 billion celebrating dad this past Father’s Day. Why all the celebration if dads really don’t make that much of a difference in the lives of children?
Julie BaumgardnerIn an article for the Institute for Family Studies, Dr. William Jeynes, Harvard graduate and professor at California State University, Long Beach, highlights his recent meta-analysis of 34 studies regarding the unique role fathers play in child-rearing. He found statistically significant effects between good fathering and a number of outcomes for both boys and girls.
Jeynes looked at whether fathers make a unique contribution in raising children compared to moms. The meta-analysis included 37,300 subjects. In the study, Jeynes and his team defined the unique fatherhood contribution as paternal monitoring, involvement and child-rearing activities that can be distinguished from activities undertaken by the mother, another guardian, relative or caregiver.
A clear theme emerged: While mothers were often shown as the more nurturing parent, fathers appeared to be more involved in preparing children to deal with life. Fathers also seemed to more realistically assess their children’s future behavior problems. In some cases, fathers were better predictors of their child’s future cognitive performance than moms were.