Motherhood often takes precedence over fatherhood when it comes to rearing a child, but did you know that a father plays an equally important psychological role in the upbringing of a child?
A video posted by Full Frontal Fatherhood 1, featuring Julian Redwood, emphasized that the role of a dad in the mother-baby equation is just as important for the psychological development of the child.
Julian Redwood, a Marriage and Family Therapist, also illustrated the dynamics of modern families, such as single parents and goes on to explain why another person needs to be introduced to that kind of parenting role. This is essential because the child needs to be brought up with the understanding that he/she is not just a part of their mother or that single parent, but are individuals who are independent of their parent(s).
More often than not, a sort of dependency is formed when a child is brought up by a single parent. Although they do learn to become responsible and learn for themselves, sometimes growing up a bit faster than most, there may be a creeping worry such as, “What will they do without me?”
Although Julian is speaking about the traditional mother and father roles in bringing up a child, a truly healthy relationship is one which allows both parents to be able to dabble between the masculine and feminine influences that go into parenting.
Not to stereotype, but generically, this is one of the known ways to help a child strike that mental balance and furthermore acquire and incorporate both the feminine and masculine associated qualities into their personality, core characteristics, and daily lives.
This includes titling towards being more practical or empathetic, being caring but knowing when not to be taken for granted, being understanding but not manipulated, having inner-strength and knowing it’s okay to show your vulnerable side, and even knowing when to be careful and take risks.
According to Julian, “This primary care (not necessarily a woman) is just someone who will take the time to nurture the development of the baby and attend to his/her needs. A baby’s brain needs this bonding to arrange itself properly and without it, people literally go varying levels of insane.”
Moreover, having two parents in one’s life, not necessarily the classic mother or father figure, allows a child to be exposed to more than just one point of view or have one primary character reference. This enables children to grow up seeing two people with different points of view, who have disagreements, who love and care for one another, have varying opinions, and even how they led different lives before they became his/her parent.
This also helps them better interact and have friendships or other relationships with the boys and men they meet in their lives, as they will have a version of that experience at home to refer to.
This type of psychological facilitation cannot come from schooling or even from family visits or books, there needs to be two grounded characters in the child’s life with the committed aim for their welfare.
Almost akin to maintaining the Yin and Yang of psychological balance for a child, this is what makes or breaks them before they face the world on their own.
So this is why we all love our dads and as research suggests, this is why they play such a huge role in our lives.
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