The role of the father in the education of children

Being a father is a wonderful task, the most fascinating mission in the life of many men who face each day and enjoy the education of their sons and daughters. Paperof the father in the education of the children and daughters is fundamental and essential, necessary for the healthy development and well-being of our children.

Traditionally, the mother has always been valued, leaving the father figure relegated to the background. However, the importance of the figure of the father in the education and upbringing of the sons and daughters is now more than demonstrated.

The father as an attachment figure

Children connect from a very first moment in a very special way with their attachment figures, these are the father and the mother. Being a father or mother is much more than having offspring or an intimate relationship of kinship. Being a father or mother means becoming an attachment figure for our children. And the way of acting, of educating, of raising, of loving the sons and daughters will affect in a forceful way in their physical and psychological development and therefore in their current and future well-being. In their way of being, in their way of thinking and acting, and even in their ways of relating to others and to themselves, in the bonds they establish and in their way of loving.

Traditionally, emphasis has been placed on the mother figure, as a figure of attachment, the par excellence responsible for the upbringing, care and education of the sons and daughters. Unfortunately, the father figure has been left on numerous occasions, causing negative consequences in the development of the child. The father is a very important figure of attachment for the sons and daughters, his influence on education is as decisive as that of the mother.

The father figure in the education of the children

The father figure plays an important role in the education of children, complementing the mother figure. Both figures are essential for the healthy development of the child. Let's see the implications of the father figure:

1. All children need to develop their sexual identity and for this they need a masculine figure and a feminine figure that can transmit to them the male role and the female role.

2. The father figure tends to interact differently with the mother figure, according to different studies. Both modes of interaction complement each other making possible a wealth of experiences and experiences crucial for the little ones.

3. The interaction with the figure of the father tends to develop through the game active, that allows to explore and learn. It is a mode of interaction that favors development and helps to strengthen the emotional bond.

4. The father becomes the most admired man for his sons and daughters, in his particular superhero. That is why as parents, attention has to be paid to this high bar: that of the eyes of the sons and daughters.

5. The father figure helps to establish the balance in the relationship of the mother with the sons and daughters. As the mother figure contributes to balance in the relationship with the father.

6. The absence, rejection or insufficient relationship with the father figure has negative consequences in the development of children (insecurity, anxiety, stress, etc.).

Celia Rodríguez Ruiz. Clinical health psychologist. Specialist in pedagogy and child and youth psychology. Director of Educa and Learn.Autora of the collection Stimulate the reading and writing processes

More information in the book: Father's heart, by Osvaldo Poli.
If you want to read the first chapter, click here.