The role of the Fathers in the home front cannot be overemphasized.

There is so much going on about women empowerment, equality of men and women, and giving a voice to the women, which is good, considering the fact that women has been sidelined in decision making that is crucial to the development of the society. Women are taking the bull by its horns now, there are a lot of women spearheading organisations, researches, projects. Women are now been heard. All of this is good, but it is driving the men to the back seat especially in things that has to do with the home and the children. Some women even wants to prove they can do all good by themselves, they overlook the role of the father in the home and decides to be a single mother, even at instances when it could be avoided. With much glory given to single mothers, calling them “bad ass”, strong, and independent; they feel the world is theirs for the taking and embarks on parenting alone.

PS: I am guilty. No, I am not a single mother but I am actually looking forward to adopting my first child which was supposed to be soon, until I started this study and I have come to understand that I would be doing the child a great disadvantage if I deprive her the opportunity of knowing and being groomed by not only a man figure but a man that loves and care for her.

Fathers are far more than just "second adults" in the home. Involved fathers – especially biological fathers – bring positive benefits to their children that no other person is likely to bring. They provide protection and economic support and male role models. They have a parenting style that is significantly different from that of a mother and that difference is important in healthy child development, Dr. David Popenoe, Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University and Co-Director of the National Marriage Project said.

Figures can’t lie they say, below is the statistics of how important a father involvement is in the upbringing of a child

• 82% of studies on father involvement and child well-being published since 1980 found "significant associations between positive father involvement and offspring well-being…"

• In an analysis of over 100 studies on parent-child relationships, it was found that having a loving and nurturing father was as important for a child's happiness, well-being, and social and academic success as having a loving and nurturing mother. Some studies even indicated father-love was a stronger contributor to some important positive child well-being outcomes.

• In the words of Dr. Pruett, a child psychiatrist, "positive father care is associated with more pro-social and positive moral behavior in boys and girls." This is borne out by research from the University of Pennsylvania which indicates that children who feel a closeness and warmth with their father are twice as likely to enter college, 75 percent less likely to have a child in their teen years, 80 percent less likely to be incarcerated and half as likely to show various signs of depression.

• In a 26-year-long study, researchers found that the number one factor in developing empathy in children was father involvement. Fathers spending regular time alone with their children translated into children who became compassionate adults.

The best studies demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that fathers play an important and irreplaceable role in healthy child development. This means that your hunches are right and the messages we're receiving from the media, the culture, and government policy are wrong.

The implication is clear. Those of us who are "in the know" need to do everything we can to get this information out to the general public as quickly as possible. If it's true that father involvement has so many positive effects on kids' lives, then, as sociologist W. Jean Yeung has said, "The fact that this benefit is here should raise concerns for those who do not have these resources."

Major source: focusonthefamily.com