Modern Fathers have an important role in their children’s lives. As well as providing financial support and discipline, they can be caregivers and role models. Read on as we explore the roles of a father.
Introduction
Families have changed in recent years and so has the role of fathers. Fathers no longer have to be breadwinners and disciplinarians. There is so much more that they can do. Nowadays fathers are often involved in every aspect of their child’s life, from doing housework to playing games. Parents are often the first role model for their child, teaching their child important life skills and instilling values. In a co-parenting situation, fathers can still have an important role in the life of their child. Even in a non-traditional family, fathers have an essential role.
What is a parent’s role?
Parents perform two major roles in the life of their children. The first is to ensure that their basic needs are met. As well as providing children with their needs such as food, clothes, and shelter, there is also love and support, which can also be thought of as a basic need. In addition to this, it is the role of a parent to prepare their child for life as an adult. Parents help their children to learn all of the skills that they need to become happy, healthy adults. One of the ways that this is done is through imposing boundaries and using discipline.
What were the traditional roles of a father?
In the past, the most important role of a father was to provide for his family financially through his work. Fathers spent long hours at work and did not necessarily deal with the day to day care of the children. They rarely had much to do with their children until they were older. The other main role of the father was discipline. In a traditional family, the man was seen as head of the household and the children were expected to abide by his rules. Mothers would look to the child’s father to enforce his rules through punishments.
What are some modern day roles of a father?
The modern family is quite different from families in the past and as a result the roles of parents have changed. There are many different types of families, such as the single parent family, blended families with children from different marriages, and families with single sex parents. In each of these families, the father has an important role to play, but that role may look very different from the past.
It is not necessary for men to be providers these days, and stay at home dads are not uncommon. Nowadays, fathers have an important role in the family even from the time a child is first born. Although mothers tend to take the main role in caring for newborns, a father can bond with his child from the beginning, setting the scene for a close family relationship. As the child grows, a father is likely to start taking on more of a role in caring for the child by encouraging exploration and setting boundaries. In general, mothers tend to be more protective and children can learn to become independent and confident as a result of encouragement from their fathers.
Of course, children learn moral values by observing the behaviour of both parents, so the value of fathers as role models cannot be understated. As children grow, fathers tend to play with their children more and through this play, they form a bond with their children and they can teach life lessons, such as how to deal with failure and how to manage their emotions. Fathers often have practical skills which they can share with their children. Children who have caring parents and an actively involved father are more likely to be confident and emotionally secure.
Parents are usually a child’s first role model, and it is often said that a girl will look for a husband who has similar characteristics to her father. A son grows up to be similar to his father in terms of values such as respect and kindness. To learn more about the role of fathers in a child’s life, see this article.
“Parenting is a team effort. There is an old African proverb that says ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. While a child is influenced and shaped by the entire society, there are no two individuals who play a more pivotal role in this than the parents.”
beingtheparent.com/role-of-father-in-raising-a-child
Should a father have particular, set roles?
Today, fathers and mothers can choose a number of ways in which they can parent. Unlike the traditional role of fathers, today there is no specific role that a father must take on. Nevertheless, consistency in parenting is important, so children know what to expect and can feel secure, which leads to healthy relationships. Consistency helps children to understand what is expected of them. Whatever the role that a father takes, it is important that it remains consistent from day to day even if it changes over time.
In the past, the primary caregiver was the mother, but today a father can also be a caregiver either through choosing to stay at home while his spouse works or by sharing the caregiving tasks of the mother. Not all of the work in the home is directly related to looking after the children, but housework can also be thought of as a part of parenting and by sharing the housework a father can take part in caregiving activities.
Discipline used to be the main duty of fathers, especially in families where the father was the head of the household. Today, the father is less the head of the family and as a result, there is a tendency for both mother and father to be responsible for discipline.
Why is it important for children to have good role models?
Children learn from watching the behaviour of the people around them, so naturally their parents are their first role models. Children learn social skills from a very young age, and how to deal with their emotions from observing their parents. Later, they may look up to celebrities and sports people as role models, but parents can continue to influence their children in many ways. In particular, parents can show their children how to be respectful of others and how to learn from their mistakes. Read The Importance of Fathers as Role Models to Their Children to learn more.
“Your children will look to you for advice, encouragement, but also as an example of how to tackle the many challenges of life. You teach your children not only by sitting them down and talking them through issues, but by modelling your own responses to these situations.”
thefatheringproject.org/fathering-channel
What are the roles of a father in a co-parenting arrangement?
Co-parenting is the process of two parents working together to raise a child. It is not necessarily the same as being in a family. The roles of a father in a blended family will be quite different depending on the family situation, but no matter what the circumstances, the most important factor in co-parenting is cooperation between the two parents. Parents need to agree on when and how to spend holidays and special events and how each parent will discipline the child. Fathers who are step-parents will, of course, have a different role in discipline than the biological parent, but in every other way a step-father can have the role of a father figure. For more details, read Stepparent Discipline: Should You or Shouldn’t You?.
Generally, what are the roles of a good father?
There are a number of roles that a good father can take. Whether it is the traditional role of provider and disciplinarian or a more nurturing role of caretaker. Whatever the role, a father can have an important impact on his child’s life. Fathers who spend time playing with their children can form a close bond and use playtime to teach important life lessons. Playing together, fathers can show their children how to be a good loser or a gracious winner. Fathers teach their children new skills, like playing sports, and encourage them to go outside their comfort zones when trying something new, providing emotional support as well as guidance. For more details about the importance of a father’s presence in the life of his child, see Being a Dad: The Evolving Role of a Father.
Conclusion
Fathers play a very important role in the lives of their children. As the modern family has changed, the role of the father has also changed. The modern father does more than just provide for his family. Fathers can be an active participant at every stage of a child’s life. A father is often a child’s first role model teaching his child valuable life lessons and important skills for adulthood. The different types of families that can be found in a modern society require different parenting skills, but all families benefit from having a father, or father figures.
Reference List:
- ‘Father’s Role in Effective Parenting’. Accessed online at https://www.beingtheparent.com/role-of-father-in-raising-a-child/ on 4 Jan, 2023.
- ‘The Importance of Fathers as Role Models to Their Children’. 30 July, 2021. Accessed online at https://thefatheringproject.org/fathering-channel/the-importance-of-fathers-as-role-models-to-their-children/ on 4 Jan, 2023.
- ‘What is Co-Parenting?’. 29 June, 2021. Accessed online at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-souls-black-folks/202106/what-is-co-parenting on 4 Jan, 2023.
- ‘Stepparent Discipline: Should You or Shouldn’t You?’. 17 Sep, 2021. Accessed online at https://blendedforlife.com/step-parent-discipline/ on 4 Jan, 2023.
- ‘Being a Dad: the Evolving Role of a Father’. 15 March, 2021. Accessed online at https://www.brighthorizons.com/resources/Article/the-evolving-roles-of-dads on 4 Jan, 2023.
