Fathers matter. The parenting style that works.

Parenting style needs a rethink

We have always thought that the mother is the center of the child’s universe, that it is her warmth and care that determine who we become in the future. But what if that narrative is incomplete? New scientific studies have shown that a father’s role in raising a child is not marginal at all. On the contrary, it may be crucial.

Scientists from China examined how a warm attitude from parents affects their child’s socio-emotional skills. This means a parenting style full of acceptance, care, involvement in the child’s life, and emotional support. The study involved 362 Chinese students. Participants completed a set of questionnaires that included the following assessments:

• maternal and paternal warmth,
• social and mental well-being,
• socio-emotional skills.

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A father’s warmth shapes emotions more strongly than a mother’s

Participants who said they experienced a lot of warmth from the mother tended to report receiving a lot of warmth from the father as well — and vice versa. Volunteers who experienced a lot of warmth from parents in childhood also showed higher levels of social and mental well-being, as well as stronger socio-emotional skills.

It was difficult, however, to say who had a greater impact on the child — the father or the mother. To determine this, the study’s authors created a statistical model that “filtered out” the shared influence. In this way, the specialists checked whether either parent had a uniquely strong impact on the child, independent of the other parent. The results showed that it was paternal, not maternal, warmth that was the significant factor. It was precisely this that correlated with the social well-being of the experiment’s participants.

“The results showed that both maternal and paternal warmth had a positive impact on students’ psychological well-being. Importantly, it was observed that paternal warmth played a significant role in predicting students’ social well-being, whereas maternal warmth did not show a similar level of significance. Additionally, it was found that both maternal and paternal warmth positively influenced students’ socio-emotional skills by supporting their psychological and social well-being,” reads the publication in The Journal of Psychology.

A father’s role in upbringing is undervalued

The findings are intriguing, but as is customary in science, caution is advised. The study relied on participants’ memories and self-assessment, which always leaves room for error. This does not change the fact that the analysis provides new insights into child development. It may be the first step toward changing how we view parenthood. Instead of focusing exclusively on the mother, we should start to value the father’s role more — and that begins with choosing a parenting style that fully includes him.

Read the original article: Ciepło matki to nie wszystko. Badacze: ojcowie mają kluczowy wpływ