The Importance Of Fathers Praising Their Children

In recent decades, researchers have become better informed about the importance of the father's role in childhood development. While prior to the 1970s, the role of the father in developing childhood self-esteem was not well known, today it is understood that fathers' praise helps to shape self-esteem and nurture children.

Gender Differences in Nuturing

Fathers have been found to be nurturing of their children in different ways than mothers. Fathers tend to bestow non-verbal approval through shared activities, whereas women tend to be more typically verbal and abstract. Fathers encourage their children to explore new situations to a greater extent than do mothers and they tend to be more tolerant of their children becoming frustrated.

Effect on Intelligence

A father's interactions with his children, including praise, is associated with positive gains in intelligence. Research published in the "Journal of Family Issues" in 2001 found that fathers who praised their infants tended to have children who were smarter at age 1 than non-praising fathers. The time fathers spend helping their children with homework, meanwhile, has been associated with better grades in those children.

Effect on Self-Esteem

Fathers who praise their children are more likely to have confident, secure children with high self-esteem. Indeed, the research published in the "Journal of Family Issues" found that the children of nurturing fathers had higher self-esteem at age 1. Children with high self-esteem tended to have more attentive fathers than children with low self-esteem. Among fifth and six graders, children with high self-esteem were more likely to have more accepting fathers. For teenage girls, paternal nurturing was seen to affect self-esteem positively.

Effect on Social Development

Paternal praise has a positive effect on children's social and emotional development. Fathers who praise their infants were seen to have toddlers who are more securely attached at 1 year than fathers who do not tend to praise their infants. In school-aged children, paternal nurturing has been associated with greater social adjustment.