It’s important for divorced fathers to maintain a lasting relationship with their children. For not only is this something that means a lot to dads, a recent study also determined that children who spend more one-on-one time with their fathers have better self-esteem.
The study, which was published in the journal Child Development, tracked close to 200 families over a seven year time period. Those families had at least two children.
From there it was determined those children who spend time with their father have higher self-esteem. Additionally, those kids who spend time with their dads in a group setting also have better social skills. Time spent one-on-one with mothers did not show the same correlation, which can serve as further proof that it’s important children maintain relationships with their fathers — even after their parents split up or divorce.
In general, those children who spent more time with their parents also benefited by not being as affected by peer pressure and having overall fewer delinquent behaviors.
When looking at why there may be differences between children spending alone time with their mom or their dad, the dean of the university’s College of Health and Human Development points to the fact that time with dad is often more peer-like with joking around and playful interactions. Fathers also tend to go above and beyond when it comes to social expectations, which in turn can be a real self-esteem booster for children.
Of course none of this is to suggest that children having relationships with their mothers isn’t also important, it’s more just to stress the point that if a mother is threatening a father’s visitation time, it is essential for not only the father — but also the children — to stand up for their rights as a parent.
Source: KETK, “Spending time with Dad good for teen self-esteem,” Aug. 24, 2012
