The father’s influence cannot be managed by proxy. Growing children need the advantage of their father’s presence even more than they need the extra money he hopes to earn by constantly being away from home. The participation of the father in the game of his children and his advice about their concerns and problems gives them that confidence and perspective that is necessary for the construction of complete personalities.

The childhood years go by so quickly that the father must be constantly on his guard lest he deny himself the opportunity to spend time with his children and contribute his share to their sense of direction in life. It is during these formative years that he has the opportunity to shape the character, outlook, ambitions and philosophies of his children. Once the children are older, he will have ample opportunity to resume his personal idiosyncrasies.

The man should not assume that the responsibility of paternity falls entirely on his wife. Both parents are needed to provide a suitable home for the children to grow up in. Although the mother spends more time at home, she is the husband’s home as much as his wife’s. Children have the right to the presence of their father as to that of their mother. As in the case of the mother-child relationship, mutual benefits also derive from the contact between father and children.

Obviously, the traveling parent has very little influence over their children. And before he could hope to have them, he would have to become familiar with them. And before becoming acceptable to his influence, he would have to show the children that his love for them is genuine and selfless. Children need parents who love them and each other. Studies have revealed that children whose father is always away are at risk of abusing alcohol and drugs than other children. As teens transition into adolescence, mothers may find that their children are the focus of music videos, magazine ads, and peer pressure. Each trying to steal parental influence; but she alone can be powerful in keeping her children away from these overwhelming distractions.

A mother can be attentive, but she cannot be everywhere at once or stay awake all hours of the day. When she must monitor her children for signs of drug abuse, academic failure, to name a few, things may have gotten out of hand. A single mother doesn’t have the energy to challenge her teenage children every time; so she prioritizes her battles. While she tends to some, others become crises before they get her attention. When the father is near her, the mother can take a nap when she gets tired knowing that her husband is watching the children. Under constant supervision, care, and concern, children are less likely to experience extreme behavior when they know they have two parents to answer to rather than one.

A mother, however much she might want to, cannot provide what both parents would have as a unit when the father is not around. The absence of a father will affect boys in many negative ways, most notably by not providing a strong male role for emulation purposes. The absence of a father will hinder the emotional maturity of children since they will only be seeing the emotions of one gender. There may not be any man around to teach them what to expect or what’s so special about being a man as they grow up.

The presence or absence of a father will also have a profound effect on his daughters. Girls may feel less protected without their father around and have no one to show them how a man should treat her wife and family. Under the influence of a loving and present father, the girls grow into women exuding self-confidence. They learn firsthand the basic rules of male-female relationships by watching their parents. Without a father present, both girls and boys cannot always see a working relationship between a man and a woman. They have nothing to compare their own relationships to as they grow up, and they may end up with partners who take advantage of them.

Although mothers can effectively discipline their children, studies have shown that when a father is not present in the home, children are more likely to derail and display bad and dangerous behavior. This may be because a father’s discipline is often more powerful and respected than a mother’s, or because a single mother has less time and energy to maintain control of her children. Neither can replace the other. A mother offers tenderness, but sometimes it takes the familiar deep baritone voice of a father to stop a child from crying unnecessarily. An older child may ignore a directive from her mother; but she will respond to a parent’s authoritative voice with instant compliance.

Children without a father around them can experience a sense of intense loss. Try as she may, the most dedicated mother raising a child alone can only provide a role model interpreted from the female perspective. Both the daughter and the son will eventually understand that something is missing, especially when they see other children playing with their parents and they don’t have any. The absence of a father’s influence is most noticeable in his children, who often mirror their father’s career, mannerisms, and life philosophies without conscious consideration. Your father may be deceased, unknown, or absent due to divorce or separation. This creates a gap in what should be a supportive family unit for growing children. They may feel rejected and unwanted by a parent who lives, but wants nothing to do with them. Cases abound of children searching for their parents after many ages of separation. A father who was previously known by his children but who dies or leaves leaves an impression of abandonment in the hearts of his children. When a father has never been known, children will always be left with the feeling that a part of them is missing.

Both mother and father bring different aspects to a family. With both parents around, children will have more opportunities for fun, excitement, learning, and laughter. One parent may be good at certain areas, such as literary works, while the other may be better at engaging children in arts and crafts.

Lack of money can affect a young child’s well-being and future. Even an absent father who pays child support will not provide as much money as he would have done assuming he is still part of the family. A fatherless child is likely to be poorer, with fewer options in life due to lack of funds. Children without the support of a parent are less likely to receive a quality education. This is due to the fact that they lack the funds to pay for good schools. They can’t even continue their education because they need to leave school as soon as possible to work so they can help their mother financially.

Without the joint efforts of parents, children’s health care is often adversely affected. Health insurance can be neglected and a mother is less likely to have the money to pay for treatment when needed. The general picture regarding how the absence of a father affects children is that they grow up with a lower standard of living than they would have if their father lived with them. They have less emotional support and discipline, less money to provide them with good health and education, and less built-in ammunition to use in the future to combat events that may unfold.

However, in the situation where the father is absent because he separated from his wife for reasons of incompatibility, the children may be better off when their parents live apart. The lack of a father is still a great loss, but living in a house filled with violence may not be a better option.