5 reasons why fathers are so important when it comes to bonding

When it comes to bonding, many people think of the relationship between mother and child. We show why fathers also play a central role in a child's development.

Text: Claudia Landolt

Picture: Julia Forsman

1. thanks to less testosterone, fathers can also glug

Men can also be natural candidates for bonding. In fathers, the virility hormone testosterone is lower and the prolactin level - the hormone required for breastfeeding - is higher than in childless men. It is assumed that these hormonal conditions are linked to caring behaviour towards the newborn child.

The same is observed in male tamarin monkeys, which are very involved in caring for their offspring. In contrast to childless men, fathers have the same level of expertise as mothers in dealing with babies and small children. However, this competence is more dependent on whether they take on caring tasks and responsibility for the infant from the outset than their female partners.

2. fathers strengthen children's curiosity

Studies show that mother-child bonding is characterised by security, comfort, reliability and stress reduction, while father-child bonding is characterised by assistance, curiosity and safe exploration of the world.

3. fathers play more surprisingly than mothers

Fathers spend a significant amount of time playing with their children. They play in a more surprising and challenging way than mums. Even when dealing with babies, fathers are often much more impetuous than mothers. They play the most daring games with them, throwing them up in the air and so on. Fathers thus create «stimulation cycles» that are fast-paced and dramatic because they contain incessant alternations between calm and excitement.

4. fathers expand the child's learning opportunities

The father's involvement in everyday life expands the child's opportunities for experience and learning, enables a more complex interaction in the family system and can compensate for possible deficits in other areas of family life.

Fathers are particularly important for the child's verbal fitness.

In addition, the father is also important for the development of the identity of both girls and boys and, if the framework conditions allow, can stimulate the cognitive development of his children, promote their empathy and improve their academic performance.

5. fathers promote more independence

Fathers are particularly important for a child's verbal fitness. Although fathers talk to their children less than mothers and are less likely to help if communication falters, they ask questions more often, especially W questions: Who, where, why?

Fathers use more abstract words. According to research, they have an overall more demanding use of language. All of this ensures that the child understands language better overall and thus expands its linguistic competence. Just as the father tends to be the more difficult dialogue partner for the child, he also helps the child to make progress in other areas by offering less help, encouraging the child to try to find their own solutions and thus promoting their overall independence.