Experts: Kids With Involved Dads Have A Higher Chance Of Succeeding In School

Dads are parents, not babysitters, not mom’s alternates. After generations of parents having the mindset that a dad’s responsibility to his family is providing for their needs, this generation is having none of it. After all, moms have been doing their fair share of shouldering the family’s bills; dads can surely pull their weight when it comes to child-rearing.

And here’s another advantage of having dads do their own share of parenting duties. A new research published by the University of Leeds found that children whose dads are involved in their upbringing tend to have an advantage once they start school. Furthermore, the study found that this positive impact extends throughout the child’s primary school years, and holds true no matter the child’s gender or household income.

What the study says about dads

Some of the activities the study considered as parents “being involved” with their kids include reading, storytelling, singing or other musical activities, drawing and crafts, and indoor and outdoor play. The study also cites two main reasons why dads doing such activities or “being involved” with their children have a positive impact:

Two involved parents means that the kids are exposed to different things that can stimulate them in varying ways. This is due to the fact that moms and dads are typically unique in their own way–each speaks differently to their kids and each have their own individual parenting styles.

Dad’s unique involvement is also said to be different from moms.’ According to the study, “Fathers’ involvement operates differently from mothers’ involvement because it helps to increase children’s educational attainment, whereas mothers’ involvement enhances children’s cognitive behavior.

“Specifically, mothers’ involvement helps to reduce hyperactivity in children and enhance their peer socialization skills, as well as their emotional, conduct, and pro-social behavior.”

How can dads get more “involved”?

The study emphasizes the importance of having both parents involved in their children’s upbringing. This means that the childcare and child-rearing responsibilities should be split between both parents, instead of traditionally being the mom’s main responsibility.

Lead researcher Helen Norman said in a statement, “Mothers still tend to assume the primary carer role and therefore tend to do the most childcare, but if fathers actively engage in childcare too, it significantly increases the likelihood of children getting better grades in primary school. This is why encouraging and supporting fathers to share childcare with the mother, from an early stage in the child’s life, is critical.”

The report also suggests several ways how parents can go about this:

• Parents should split up routine childcare to ensure that both can spend time doing “fun, childcare engagement activities.” Parents should also collaborate with each other to also ensure support throughout. This means that cleaning up, feeding, and homework duties should be split evenly between mom and dad, so both can also get their turns in having fun.
• Dads should have a regular scheduled “alone” time with the kids that should be dedicated to “engaging” activities, such as reading, crafts, or indoor or outdoor play. It can be as quick as 10 minutes a day as long as the time spent is devoted to quality activities.
• Finally, ensuring that dad is present and active in school and related activities, including communicating with teachers and school officials.

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