It has been generally accepted that the woman is the one who is capable of raising the child, particularly a daughter, on her own. As a result even today the number of single mothers is much bigger than that of single fathers.
However, this is not completely true, according to some recent studies. Girls can benefit a lot, especially for their emotional development, from having their father by their side.
These studies have shown that daughters who have excellent relationships with their fathers can avoid developing depression and anxiety and they handle stress better.
They also feel more comfortable expressing their emotions and are better prepared for future relationships. Positive self-image, sexuality and self-confidence are some of the values that fathers provide for their daughters.
In addition, fathers have huge impact on the financial and physical health of their daughters. They provide financial stability which in combination with emotional and physical health opens a path for successful life.
Compared to the past, today fathers can be involved in the process of raising their daughters from the very start. They can feed them, rock them to sleep, change their diapers. These opportunities allow them to build a strong and special bond with their daughters from the beginning.
However, there are some factors which negatively affect the image of being a father. Namely, the media often depict fathers as idiots not knowing anything about women and their needs. What is important in this situation is for fathers and men in general to ignore these portrayals i.e. they should accept them as insignificant stereotypes.
Also, some fathers may be concerned because they have not been involved in the early years of their daughters believing that it is too late to create that significant bond with them.
They should remember that it is never too late and there is always hope for getting a close and healthy relationship built with their daughters. It might require more effort to achieve this but it will definitely be worth.
Finally, this article is not meant to devaluate the role of mothers but it is meant to point out the importance of fathers as well. Both mothers and fathers provide valuable information and advice for their daughters and thus greatly affect their development into successful women.
