Dads Make a Difference

Engaging fathers means engaging all of the men who are raising children, like grandfathers, uncles, brothers, step-dads and other male role-models.

When fathers are responsibly involved with their children, many good things happen. The research has been growing over the years, but generally speaking, a father’s involvement positively impacts a child’s:

• School performance
• Ability to share and get along with peers
• Respectful relationship with adults
• Depression, anxiety and other mental health issues
• Physical health and development
• Risk taking, problem-solving and self-confidence
• Avoidance of criminal behaviour
• Choices around sex as an adolescent.

But it is not just good for the children. When fathers are involved, mothers are more content, feel less stress, and enjoy parenting more. And when a man is an involved father, among other things, he is a more efficient worker, he is healthier and lives longer, he is more satisfied as a parent, and he is more likely to take leadership in his community.

The above has been taken from the My Dad Matters Toolkit, a publication from Dad Central., www.Dadcentral.ca