Obviously, fathers are supremely aware that their parental role is not limited to paying the bills. For example, they know that their physical presence in the home makes a difference. And research backs them up on this point: children, especially boys, who grow up without the presence of a father are more at risk of developing problems of self-control, behaviour and adaptation. The reason is simple: as children develop, they require guidance, supervision, care and attention-an assignment likely to wear down even the most heroic super-mother raising a child alone, let alone two or three children (and sometimes a spouse for whom she must do the washing and ironing as well!). By sharing parenting tasks, the job can be done more thoroughly, with more consistency and in a way that is more balanced toward the child's needs and expectations. However, in today's social context, the struggle for shared parenting remains a struggle for more sustained paternal (or spousal) commitment to everyday family life. Thus, the saying "just wait till your father gets home" takes on new meaning when seen in the light of providing children with a more stable, structured and supervised family environment conditions favourable to normal development.

Article sourced from a publication from the Public Health Agency of Canada

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