A recent study presented at the American Psychological Association conference confirms what fathers have intuitively known for years - that a close relationship between a father and a son blesses the son throughout his life. In this study, one important finding was that men who reported having a good relationship with their father during their childhood years were more likely to be less emotional and more rational when dealing with stress in their everyday lives than those who had a poor relationship with dad. Interestingly, the correlation between the quality of a relationship with mother and effective stress management was not as predictive.
The study's lead researcher, Dr. Melanie Mallers of California State University Fullerton, said:
"The role of fathers has changed dramatically from the time the oldest participants were children," added Mallers. "We do know that fathers have a unique style of interacting with their children, especially their sons. We need more research to help us uncover further influences of both mothers and fathers on the enduring emotional experiences of their children."
You can read more about the study and learn some of the other conclusions. But most of all, get close to your children and they will have a real advantage in later life.