Dads are not-Mom, and help the child to separate from the mother when the time comes for that major step. Fathers are also not mothers, and Pruett provides a useful summary of the benefits of the contrasts between the safety and nurturing of mother care and the challenges and stimulation provided to the child by father care. Dads support kids' novelty-seeking behavior, and help children learn to master frustration. Good fathering also improves children's interactions with siblings. Father's presence helps a child to learn to form relationships with both sexes.
Fathers like to stretch their kids' communication skills in preparation for worldly dialog.
I learned that it is the closeness the child feels to Dad that is most predictably associated with positive outcomes. Even an uninvolved Dad, if present, is significantly better than no father. So gatekeepers, whether they be the mothers or in many cases the dads themselves, should stand aside and welcome fathers into their children's lives. Pruett tells a few nice stories, such as the cellist who played Bach and Celtic gigs for his baby while still in the womb, and discovered to his delight that the baby remembered the music upon emerging into the world. The author also supplies some checklists of advice, and they are truly extraordinary in their crystallization of supremely helpful fathering advice.