Often it is hard for a gay father to tell his child about his homosexuality, for fear of hurting their relationship, but the reactions of the children have generally been positive. Overall, their knowledge of their father's homosexuality constituted only minor problems, if any. Other children had mixed emotions of confusion and anger. Other studies show that heterosexual parents have a greater tendency to provide their children with an opposite sex role model. Other differences in gay and heterosexual fathers are that gay fathers generally felt more satisfaction with their first child and were more likely to encourage play with sex-typed toys.
Findings imply that sexual orientation is correlated with paternal attitudes.
Gay fathers were found to hold paternal attitudes and economic providing less important than heterosexual fathers do. Also, gay fathers showed a more positive self-assessment of theri performance in ther paternal role than did heterosexual fathers. It is obvious to recognize differences in gay and heterosexual parenting, but it is proven that both can be ways of effective parenting. Slight differences in relation to children exist between homosexual and heterosexual fathers. Gay fathers do not agree to the extent of heterosexual fathers that children help nuture the morality of one's behavior.