Fatherhood key to healthy child development

19/12/05 Fatherhood the key to healthy development
Father’s are the key to the healthy development of the child. Too much emphasis has been laid on mothers to the detriment of the child. In early childhood it is the father that provides the secure environment for the mother to care for the child. Without this security the mother will pass on her anxiety to the child who in turn will become insecure. The father is the limit setter in the family. He is the voice of authority while the mother is the voice of care. It is this balance that leads to healthy development. Too much authority without care leads to fear of authority. Too much care without authority leads to insecurity. Every child needs limits and these limits provide the secure base for the child to explore his/her world. When the couple are able to provide a united secure/caring environment for the child then the child will be able to develop a well balanced personality.
Fathers have been neglected in a lot of research because of the key role that mothers have played in child development. With the break down of families it is vital that fathers are included in future research. The extent of violence and disruption in society maybe an indicator of the loss of authority in fathers in the present world. Sexual promiscuity can also be related to this loss. In such an environment there will be anarchy and then this results in the birth of a dictator to rule and dictate. History relates these events in societies that have gone through revolutions and point to the loss of male authority in stemming the tide towards anarchy. Again in this generation the rise of homosexuality and moral degradation point to a move towards another revolution - hopefully a reclaiming of fatherhood as a solution to the decline.