It’s no secret in my house who the favorite parent is. If someone wakes up in the middle of the night, cries of “DADDY! DADDY!” fill the halls. When it comes time to swing at the park, it’s “Daddy, push me! ” and “Mama, go play with the swarming bee hive!”
Sure, there are times when my ego gets as bruised as marked down produce, but most of the time, I feel lucky that my kids have such a hands on dad. From Day 1, my husband has changed diapers, filled sippy cups and made leggo Eggos. The benefit of having a partner with whom to share these responsibilities runs deeper than just the time it provides me to shellac a coat of polish on top of my chipped toenails.
A new study from The Journal of Child Development found that children with involved fathers are less likely as teenagers to engage in risky sexual activities such as unprotected intercourse, and that the more hands on the dad is, the greater influence he has on his child’s sexual behavior. Though mothers still play a pivotal role, fathers have twice the impact.
Experts agree that the importance of having an involved father lies in not only providing another strong central figure in their child’s life, but also on the impact the father’s presence has on the mother’s emotional well being. The stress of raising children is alleviated when the duties are shared, and we all know, “When Mama’s not happy, ain’t nobody happy.”
So the next time my children are clamoring to have a story read, their runny nose wiped, or an extra scoop of ice cream, I’ll say, “Go talk to your Dad!” and not feel a bit of guilt about it. It may just make their high school years that much easier.
(Photo By: Mike Baird)
