Children look to their fathers to lay down the rules and enforce them. They also look to their fathers to provide a feeling of security, both physical and emotional. An involved father promotes healthy development in his children.
Research suggests that positive time spent with their fathers can reduce the likelihood of boys becoming anxious, depressed, or aggressive.
According to Psychology Today, research on thousands of fathers and sons, men who break the law are far more likely to have fathers who also broke the law. For sons of law-abiding fathers, only 4 % were found to be convicted of more than one delinquent act. In contrast, for sons of law-breaking Fathers, about 40 % committed more than one delinquent act.
How to Foster a Healthy Father-Son Relationship
Love his mother: This teaches him how to treat his mom, his sisters, and all woman he will meet. Treat his mother with respect.
He needs to see you fail not just succeed: If he sees you handle failure, he learns it is okay to make a mistake.
Show him that you are the leader of the family: He needs you to serve your family well and he will become a good leader.
Be present in his life: Be there in his education, social life, and all areas of his life.
Love him unconditionally: No matter what choices he makes, and even if they are wrong, love and guidance will build his self-esteem.
Affirm what he does: Say, “I know you can do it, that was a good play, you are really trying”. Your son needs encouragement.
Set boundaries and expectations: Discipline him in love. This will teach him to think and evaluate the choices he makes now and in the future.
A study in Developmental Psychology suggests that a strong father-son bond forged during childhood may help men deal with everyday stress in later life.
Positive Parenting behaviors and tactics are protective factors for kids. Positive parenting factors must be taught to at-risk high school aged youth who may be or are thinking about being a parent. Did you know that dad’s frequency of kissing and hugging his son at two years old was one of the factors that positively predicted a son’s reading and math scores? (Psychology Today)
The benefits of participating in a parenting program for teen boys can help them form positive father- son relationships. Becoming a teen parent makes life more difficult. Teen parents can raise a happy, healthy and successful child, but it takes education and work. They need to learn the responsibilities of being a parent including providing a safe environment, making sure basic needs are met, enhancing the child’s self-esteem, providing appropriate discipline, and being involved int the child’s education. Our high school life skills curriculum Fatherhood addresses teen parenting for boys.
ARISE believes that boys and girls need to learn parenting skills. So, if you work with girls, our high school life skills curriculum Sprouts addresses teen parenting for girls.