On June 16, we celebrate Father’s Day in the United States.
Emotionally engaged dads play a vital role in the development of a child’s self-esteem and self-confidence.  Divorced or married, Fathers’ responsibility is also to support the Mother, so the child can rest in the safety of this partnership.  

Research from The Fatherhood Project & Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital says that:

[…] a father’s emotional engagement — not the amount of time fathers spend with children, rather how they interact with them — leads to multiple positive outcomes, and serves as a significant protective factor against high risk behaviors in both girls and boys. For example:
More frequent father engagement in their child’s literacy and education results in higher achievement levels in reading and math for the children.
Positive father engagement is associated with lower levels of impulsivity, higher ratings of self-control, and better stress tolerance.
Fathers who become involved in school settings early in their children’s lives are more likely to stay engaged longer.”  

In a study that measured the quantity and quality of father involvement, researchers found that:

“Fathers’ positive parenting (e.g., democratic or stimulating parenting style) was predictive of increases in children’s cognitive, prosocial, and self-regulation skills; whereas negative parenting (e.g., coercive discipline, physical punishment, and authoritarian or permissive behaviors) was predictive of children’s increased externalizing problems and reduced cognitive skills. Such beneficial effects appear to be true even when fathers do not live with the children“- which means it is not the divorce or separation that affects a child, but how the co-parenting relationship post- separation is taking place ! (my note).  ***Contact me if you are divorced and need help with the co-parenting relationship.***
Fathers’ positive involvement in a child’s life also leads to less alcohol and drug use, lower rates of teen pregnancy, better stress/cortisol regulation and overall better school performance.
( Long-Term Effects of Father Involvement in Childhood on Their Son’s Physiological Stress Regulation System in Adulthood, cited from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8923429/_ )
In my work with parents, I meet very few fathers, unfortunately. Men are less inclined to seek help due to their cultural conditioning. Most dads are good men, with good intentions but quite limited in their emotional intelligence. My wish for the future of humanity is to see more fathers doing the work of conscious parenting.

To the fathers who work (or worked) with me, THANK YOU ! I appreciate you. You are making a BIG difference.

Happy Father’s Day 2024!

PS: Please consider working with me this summer for 8 weeks. Your kids and the world need more conscious fathers. You can make a real difference with more connection tools and a deeper level of self-awareness. Click here to read more info.