Children often feel unsure of their father's love, as his most powerfully demonstrated emotions are frustration and anger, even rage. Children feel frightened. They may feel afraid to really try, afraid to fail. They fear authority and yet rebel against it, desperate to prove themselves, to find out who they really are. Boys grow up thinking that aggressive, even violent, behavior is acceptable.
Girls grow up confused about what love is, often making poor choices as adolescents and young women.
It is the result of parenting which is neither balanced nor whole. In my work as a pediatrician and specialist in child behavior, I have seen these roles played out in hundreds of families. In my own family, my wife has difficulty expecting our four children to be responsible. I find myself yelling and see the confusion and fear in their small faces. I see that I am out of control.