HAPPY FATHER, STEPFATHER, and MENTOR DAY!

It is tough and CONFUSING to be a father. In just the forty years that I have been a Dad there have been incredible changes in what is thought of us. When I was waiting for my first born to arrive, I was sent home from the hospital until Claire was ready for the delivery room so I wouldn’t get in the way. Now, instead of just watching the birth and listening to my wife say some uncomplimentary words about me, the new Dad can play catch and cut the cord. We were kept at arms length when it came to childcare (not being considered able to change a diaper did have some advantages). Fatherhood was a subject of sitcom jokes and we were looked at as an Al Bundy whose primary mission was to survive the wife and kids. We were used to being the assigned bad guy. “Wait till your father gets home,” was enough to make a child hide and come up with excuses. The importance of a male figure in a child’s life wasn’t even studied until recently, and what it revealed challenged the long held idea that we are merely a convenience.

Guess what? Mothers and fathers really are different but you are equally important in the healthy development of a child. Mom tends to nurture and protect while Dad says, “Try it but don’t get hurt or I will be the one in trouble with your mother.”

I am here to tell you how valuable you really are.

Children with involved fathers:
• Are less likely to have behavioral problems or be incarcerated
• Do better in school
• Are less likely to live in poverty
• Have improved health and emotional well being throughout their lives

If that is not enough:
• Fathers teach their children to take healthy, measured risks and to enjoy play
• A daughter will form her expectations of men and relationships from their father
• A son will learn positive gender role characteristics
• An involved father is good for the marital relationship

So science has once again proved the obvious! Like most things in life, parenting requires a balance and you are a very important part of that equation. So, to all the fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers and family and friends that choose to mentor a child

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!