Even When Dad is Home by Francesca Cappucci Fordyce Just because a father lives at home, does not mean he is available to his son or daughter. Fathers often overbusy themselves, so that they don't have to deal with their own responsibility and subliminal pain from their childhood. A parent has to resolve his own issues before he can completely be present and mindful of his children. Boys desperately need and are searching for a connection to their father.
Fathers are the ones who teach their sons control.
In a physical game such as wrestling, it is the father who winds it down before someone gets hurt. However in the case of sports or contests, a father must check himself to see if the competition is indeed healthy, or if the father initiates competing for ego's sake. If the father is submerged in his own ego, the challenge can take an aggressive tone, doing great harm to the boy's self esteem. When a boy has to actually fight his dad to win, the game loses its fun and becomes a struggle of wills and egos. A self-centered father manipulates the game, not as a pleasant pastime of teaching, but rather creates a situation to prove he is better.