But there are other qualities of fathers that are related to positive child development. Infants react to fathers differently than they do to mothers. They seem to be comforted and soothed when they're with their mothers, but they are excited and stimulated when they're around their fathers. Both of these reactions are important in helping the child's brain to develop normally. Infants' scores on some measures of mental and physical development are higher if a father has been actively involved in the first six months of the child's life.
Fathers are important in their children's lives.
It's appropriate that we take time to honor them during the month of June. For many 4-H youth, summertime means show time. Summer usually marks the beginning of the livestock show season. In July about 600 youth will show beef and sheep in the Tennessee Junior Livestock Expositions. One of the activities at the shows is the skillathon, which gives youth the opportunity to showcase the skills and knowledge they learned from their beef or sheep projects.