When it comes to how involved fathers are in caring for their infants, it seems that moms are the gatekeepers. According to a study published in the Journal of Family Psychology this past June, mothers play a critical role in determining how much and how well a father takes care of his infant.
The study took a look at 97 families who had infants. After accessing numerous factors, such as what the parents believed about gender and paternal roles, the study found an interesting result. How much the mother encouraged the father to care for the infant was the single most important factor that determined the degree to which the father was involved. In other words, the more a mother encouraged a father to care for his baby, the more involved the father was in the care. And the reverse was true. The more critical the mother was about how a father cared for his baby, the less likely he was to be involved.
Mothers, in essence, act as the gatekeepers for their baby’s care. They can directly foster or curtail how active a father is in the care of his baby. While this might seem obvious, it is the first direct evidence that mother’s play such a critical role in a father’s involvement.
So, if you are a new mom, know that your behavior can determine how much “help” you get from your spouse by how much you encourage that help. Fathers seem to need that encouragement. One way to do this is to not be critical of how your spouse or partner cares for your infant. Even if you think the baby should be burped three times instead of once, for example, you should let that go and resolve to let the father determine what works for him.
If you want to read more about the study, visit The American Psychological Association.
How did you or will you encourage your baby’s father to become involved?
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