Single Dad

There are countless sources explaining how important involved, active fathers are in a child's life (I havent yet found one which agrees with the mother's psychologist who says it's bad for fathes to be involved or see their children without the mother).

This is from 'Children in Wales' (Source: http://www.childreninwales.org.uk/5087.html).

• 86% of all teenage suicides are in ‘fatherless families’.
• There is consistent evidence that the quality and content of fathers’ involvement matter much more for children’s outcomes than the quantity of time that is spent.
• All children need and benefit from a positive male role model.
• In particular, fathers’ affection, support and ‘authoritative’ parenting style are related to children’s positive educational outcomes. Poor parenting by fathers is associated with children’s decreased educational attainment.
• Children with involved fathers are less likely to engage in offending behaviour.
• Around a half of all Parenting Orders are issued to single parents.
• Numerous studies have demonstrated that the vast majority of men in the UK today would welcome the opportunity to be more involved with their children.
• Pre-school children were found to be more sociable starting nursery school, when they had spent time playing with their fathers. 
• Mothers’ involvement is no substitute for fathers’ involvement.
  

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This one is from The Fatherhood Movement in America.

Fathers play a critical role in the development of their children... The latest research indicates that fathers who are actively involved in raising their children can make a positive and lasting difference in their lives. In contrast, this same research reveals a number of potentially negative outcomes for children whose fathers are not involved.

Being an active father:

• Lowers your child’s chances for school failure. Children with actively involved fathers are less likely to drop out of school than children with uninvolved fathers.
• Lowers your child’s chances for early sexual activity. Children with actively involved fathers are less likely to engage in early sexual activity, thus reducing their chances for teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
• Lowers your child’s chances for youth suicide. Children with actively involved fathers are less likely to commit suicide than children with uninvolved fathers.
• Lowers your child’s chances for juvenile delinquency. The benefits of having an active father throughout a child’s early years extend into the teen years as well. Children with active fathers are less likely to commit juvenile crimes than children with inactive fathers.
• Lowers your child’s chances for adult criminality. The chances that a child will commit crimes as an adult also diminish when he grows up with an actively involved father.
• Lets your child know that you love her. Love involves more than saying the words, “I love you.” Fathers who love their children demonstrate their love by spending quality and quantity time together. Children who feel loved are more likely to develop a strong emotional bond with their father and a healthy self-esteem.
• Enhances your child’s self-esteem. Self-esteem refers to how a person feels about himself. Children with high self-esteem tend to be happier and more confident than children with low selfesteem. Active fathers promote their children’s self-esteem by being fully involved in their lives and letting them know that they are highly valued.
• Enhances your child’s intellectual development. Children who are raised with actively involved fathers tend to score higher on measures of verbal and mathematical ability, and also demonstrate greater problem-solving and social skills.
• Provides your child with guidance and discipline. From infancy, children need proper guidance and discipline. Active fathers play an important role in teaching their children proper behavior by setting and enforcing healthy limits.
• Increases your child’s chances for academic success. Children whose fathers are actively involved in their lives are more likely to achieve academic success than children whose fathers are not actively involved. These academic benefits appear to extend into adulthood.
• Provides your child with an alternative perspective on life. Research indicates that men and women often differ in their parenting styles; however, one style is not necessarily better than the other. Instead, it can be healthy for children to be exposed to different perspectives on life, such as a father’s.
• Provides your child with a sense of physical and emotional security. One of the major benefits that fathers can provide to their children by being actively involved is a sense of security (physical and emotional). By being actively involved in a child’s life, a father promotes a trusting relationship. The child does not have to worry about being abandoned.

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A Google search will turn up countless organisations and experts who all stress the importance of an active, involved father in a child's life.

Here are are some stats:

Children from a fatherless home are:

* 9 times more likely to drop out of school
* 32 times more likely to run away from home
* 20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders
* 5 times more likely to commit suicide
* 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances
* 9 times more likely to end up in a state operated institution
* 20 times more likely to end up in prison 

 

And I'm expected to just accept that a psychologist in Poland told Nadia's mum it's bad for children to spend alone time with their dad!