catholicsphere

No, perhaps it’s not the product of “scientific research”, which seems to always have a bias one way or the other, but its telling and important nonetheless.

Dad’s have a different way of parenting. A way that kids need to experience. Just as much as they need to experience the kind of parenting that moms give.

“If kids don’t experience somewhat risky physical fun, it might make them more cautious and less willing to try things they haven’t quite mastered yet,” says Kyle Pruett, Ph.D., a clinical professor of child psychiatry at Yale University and author of Fatherneed: Why Father Care Is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child. “You have to fall down in order to learn to ice-skate. If you’re afraid of falling down, you won’t learn.”

That’s kind of the way I am with my own kids. I’m there. Dealing with things when — and if — they need dealing with. When my son starts whining about how he doesn’t want to take a bath, I say “How about a shower in mom’s and dad’s bathroom?” I’m not worried that I’ve stopped his whining about something he dislikes, by offering him something he likes. He likes showers, but he knows he’s not allowed to play or bring toys into the shower. That’s a trade-off. There are consequences or rewards to every action.

But, I don’t have to threaten their life (usually).

And so it works.

[tags]fatherhood, parenting, dads, family, children, catholicsphere[/tags]