In raising children, every parent has a role to play. Moms often have a reputation for being the champions of care and cuddles, while dads are said to be the great organizers of adventures. But behind these outdated clichés, a study today highlights a very specific area in which dads particularly excel.
Indeed, researchers studied how fathers and mothers interacted with their children when the latter were trying to acquire new skills. Whether it’s climbing on a scooter, getting on a bike or diving into a swimming pool for the first time, parental roles seem to be different. Where moms would tend to be cautious, even protective, dads would adopt a more daring approach. They would let children take risks, fall, and get up again.
This way of acting would actually help children to explore their limits, develop their self-confidence and cope with the unexpected. In short, a rather welcome complementarity between parents. Moreover, the study shows that this difference in approach would enrich the education of children by giving them specific tools to face the world around them. Concretely, when dads encourage their children to overcome their fears, this would promote emotional regulation and resilience, according to researchers. For example, a dad who helps his child learn to ride a bike will not always rush to prevent a fall. By doing this, he sends the message that falling is okay and that it is possible to get up and try again. Mothers, for their part, may have a natural tendency to prevent failures or soften the consequences, for fear of seeing their child suffer.
This difference does not reflect a lack of courage or skill on their part, but rather an instinctive approach to protection. You will have understood, let dads take control of learning to ride a bike, scooter or even swim, and put your apprehensions aside.
