Further, many specialists believe this involvement is important for children's healthy development. Although a father may not live with his children, he can be accessible through phone calls and letters, and responsible by providing child support payments. Child Trends, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that studies children and families, has identified the following fathering roles. A friend and playmate. Both mothers and fathers provide their children with love, attention and guidance.
Many fathers spend more time playing with their children than do mothers.
This type of play is physically active and stimulates interactions. A care-giver . Research shows fathers are involved in as many different types of care-giving activities, such as changing diapers and taking children to the doctors, as are mothers. However, mothers provide care-giving tasks more frequently than do fathers. When mothers work outside the home, fathers are generally the main providers of childcare.