The role of fathers in the raising of children has often tended to be minimized in the past generation. The gradual arrival of the divorce culture, in which divorce is considered to be the natural alternative to marital conflict, has resulted in 39% of all US children living apart from their fathers. The effect of this fact is that parents would rather think that fathers are not that important in child-rearing in order to justify their chosen lifestyle. Nothing could be further from the truth. Recent research shows that children with little or no contact with their fathers are more likely to drop out of school and become involved in drug and alcohol abuse. Girls are more likely to become pregnant as teens, and boys are more likely to become involved in crime and violence.
This research does not just apply to children whose fathers are no longer in the home. Fathers who are physically present but who choose not to take an active part in the parenting process, especially in spending time with the children and in disciplining them, have children with similar problems. My own experience as a clinician indicates that teenagers get extremely upset when their fathers are in the home but are only minimally involved as a parent. They tend to become more aggressive than most of their peers and push the family limits, often to the point of becoming out of control.
In order to develop emotionally healthy, confident children, fathers need to be closely involved in the raising of their children. If they are divorced or separated, they need to put aside their conflicts with the former spouse for the good of the kids. If they are still in the home, fathers need to take an active part in supporting and disciplining their children. If they do, their children will have a better chance to become confident and stable adults who, in turn, will someday raise their own confident and emotionally healthy children.