![\"353246_3186\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/searchingfortomsawyer\/files\/2015\/06\/353246_3186-300x199.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWe\u2019ll start with the science:<\/p>\n
10) A father\u2019s environment, behavior, and even appearance can have a substantial impact on fetal health\u2014and on the health of his grandchildren <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n- Obese fathers were associated with a 60% increase in the risk of having a child with a low birth rate. It didn\u2019t matter if mom was obese.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
9) The children of fathers who embrace and support their partner\u2019s pregnancy have an easier transition into kindergarten<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n- Fathers involved with their partners during pregnancy reduce the risk of the child dying in the first year of life<\/li>\n
- Death rate for infants whose fathers are not around or not involved is nearly four times that of infants whose fathers are involved<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
8) When the father is in the delivery room, women report less pain, need less medication, and cry less\u2026but the fathers cry more!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n7) While moms tend to hold their children more than fathers, dads are more likely to play with their children when they pick them up.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n- Fathers, through play, are more likely than moms to encourage infants to explore and to challenge them<\/li>\n
- Interactions with dad that are playful, affectionate, and engaging predict later popularity in school and among peer groups, perhaps by teaching their kids to read emotional expressions on their dads\u2019 face, and later on those of their peer group<\/li>\n
- Kids see mom as crucial to their wellbeing. Dad is a playmate on a certain level. His play, often unpredictable, helps kids learn to be brave in difficult situations or in meeting new people<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
6) Fathers are not only important for children\u2019s language development, but fathers matter more than mothers<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n- Moms tend to be more attuned to their children and tend to use words the kids are more familiar with. Dads aren\u2019t as attuned so they use a broader vocabulary, and their kids therefore learn new words and concepts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
5) Children whose fathers play with them, read to them, take them on outings, and help care for them, have fewer behavioral problems in their school years and are less likely to get caught up in delinquency or criminal behavior as adolescents<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n4) Girls who have a warm relationship with dad and spend a lot of time with him in the first 5-7 years of their lives, have a reduced risk of early puberty, early initiation of sex, and teen pregnancy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n- Researchers have discovered a robust association between father absence\u2014both physical and psychological\u2014and accelerated development and sexual risk-taking in daughters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
3) Sons who have fond childhood memories of dad are more likely to be able to handle the day-to-day stresses of adulthood<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nWe\u2019ll wrap up with two Father affirmations from the Bible<\/p>\n
2) God says Fathers matter<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n- God is neither male nor female. At times, God speaks from the perspective of a mother. But ultimately God chose to be addressed as and known by Father. That\u2019s how important dads are.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
1) Dads are created in the Image of God\u2013male<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n- God wired a dad\u2019s brain and his hormones with a unique perspective on life that kids need, the church needs, the community needs, and the world needs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In my last post I referenced a book by Paul Raeburn entitled: Do Father\u2019s Matter? What Science is Telling Us About the Parent We\u2019ve Overlooked. Below I highlight 8 of his findings plus two Biblical reasons for why dads matter. I won\u2019t go into the Science or give much detail. You can check out the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1621,"featured_media":1112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[2,12,5,57,15],"class_list":["post-609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dad","tag-boys","tag-dad","tag-girls-2","tag-image-of-god","tag-men"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"Father](\"https:\/\/wp.sixseeds.production.patheos.com\/searchingfortomsawyer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2015\/06\/iStock_000063197125_Small.jpg\")
<\/p>\n