Parenting Digest November 2009 Newsletter

A recent article in the Journal of Zero to Three (September 2009) entitled "Strenghtening Play Through Father Involvement" by Kyle Pruett, MD yielded some interesting findings regarding the role fathers assume when playing with their young children. Dr. Pruett found that fathers spend more time engaged in playtime with their children than mothers do, and that dad's interactions are more focused on "rough-housing" type play. Pruett's colleague Herzog (2001) found that father's had a tendency toward more stimulating and active play than mothers and that dads were less able to match a child's current mood and type of play and were more likely to elicit more disruptive and exciting play with their kids. Herzog suggests that this could be because fathers want to build resilience in their children, as well as help them shift gears and "roll with the punches".

Father's Bring Unique Strengths and Perspectives

Previous research by Dr. Pruett also comes as no surprise, that children who had father involvement (physical, emotional & behavorial involvement) were better at overall coping, learning and citizenship. Dr. Pruett is correct in theorizing that if such research exists to the importance of a father's role in early learning, than why isn't more emphasis put on a father's role in early care and education settings? Head Start and Early Head Start have begun to implement some policies related to paternal engagement and have started to look into ways to help fathers become more frequently and positively engaged with their young children. It is important to note that fathers bring unique strengths and perspectives to caring for their child separate from the mother. A UK research article suggests that instead of mothers and fathers being thought of as opposites in caregiving, they should be thought of as having complimentary caregiving styles.

There Are Differences in Parental Play Styles

"Do fathers and mothers have different styles of play? Consider these two examples: a father picks up his son, seven-month-old David, tosses him in the air, and throws his head back so that he and David are face to face. As David giggles and chortles, his father lowers him, shakes him, and tosses him up in the air again. A mother sits her daughter, ten-month-old Lisa, on her lap and pulls out her favorite toy, a green donkey that brays when you squeeze it. Lisa smiles, and for the next few minutes her mother moves the donkey in front of Lisa's eyes, makes it bray, and talks and sings to her daughter. Lisa watches intently, smiles, and occasionally reaches for her donkey. Are these examples merely cultural stereotypes, or do mothers and fathers really play with their babies in different ways? A series of studies confirm that differences in parental play styles do exist." (Excerpt from the book Fatherhood, by Ross Parke).

Toddlers Learn A Lot From Their Dad's

When fathers play with their toddlers, they are not just entertaining them. They are providing a safe, yet challenging way for toddlers to learn how to interact with the world and with other people. Through rough-and-tumble play, fathers create obstacles for their children and demand respect for limits and boundaries. At the same time, they challenge their children and encourage them to explore their own strength, their ability to do new things, and their impact on the world around them. Toddlers who must work out for themselves how to achieve goals-such as retrieving a ball that is just out of reach in their father's hand or wrestling their father to the ground-are practicing important problem-solving skills. In fact, when fathers are good at playing with their young children, these children score higher on tests of thinking and problem-solving skills (Reasearch by Radin, 1994).

Many Early Intervention therapists deal only with mothers when teaching therapy techniques and play skills, but in families where a father is involved perhaps this will give us food for thought on how to encourage dads to become a more active part of their child's play and therapy routines.