Fathers do not “mother” any more than mothers ever “father.” In their dealings with young children, men tend to resemble other men much more than they do women-whatever the biological relationships between the men and the children may be. Consequently, “father-effect” research is likely to be more meaningful if we assume that the literature addresses the psychological, or “life” father, rather than the “birth” or biological father. But to the child, emotional paternity is what matters, and it is the child who eventually designates emotional paternity. Much of the literature of the past several decades that has focused on men and young children focuses on biological fathers specifically. We will also discuss how ongoing nurturing interaction with their own and other people’s children affects men-often profoundly. The discussion that follows will review what we have come to understand about the unique contribution that men bring to the lives of young children, and how male presence works to promote development. The child’s hunger for a father is no different. As a well-known maxim about the early years reminds us, appetites tend to serve the survival and well-being of the infant. It is the presence of this hunger, beginning so early in children’s lives, that tips us off to the overall significance of men in the lives of developing children. As a clinician and researcher observing the connections that young children seek from the adult world, I’ve seen the search countless times: Children who can’t find their fathers make one up or appropriate one to their liking, whether or not they call him “Daddy.” In a young child who has not felt some form of masculine nurture, the hunger for a paternal presence can be insatiable. 18:1) There Is No Such Thing as a Fatherless ChildĬhildren whose fathers are not in their daily lives start looking for their fathers as soon as it becomes clear to them that kids have moms and dads, even though their dad may not be immediately obvious. Edited from the Zero to Three Journal, August/September 1997 (Vol. Pruett, M.D., Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, Connecticut. Mathematica – We Grow Together Field Test Report.Books to Help Children Manage Big Emotions.Critical Competencies for Infant-Toddler Educators.
MAN OF STEEL AND VELVET A GUIDE TO MASCULINE DEVELOPMENT PDF PROFESSIONAL
Professional Development and Workforce Innovations.Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health.