Dad Vs Mum: The Difference Between Daddy Parenting and Mommy Parenting

You may want to disagree with me, however, it is a common practice in a society that fathers are most of the time not directly involved in raising the child. Fathers do not feed their children, they don’t clean their children, they don’t wash their child’s clothes. Well, I am not trying to generalize, however, this is what happens in most families.

On the other hand, mothers are directly involved with raising kids. From feeding the baby to cleaning the baby, every responsibly is taken care of by moms.

Daddy Parenting Style Vs. Mommy Parenting Style

Normally, dads bring books for their children. Mom teaches how to read.

Dad brings pets into the house. Mom teaches how to interact with the pet.

Dad teaches how to ride a bicycle, how to drive the car. Mom teaches how to tie the shoe lace, how to eat from the plate.

Dads and moms, both have a great role to play to bring up the child. However, in most cases, moms are the ones who are around the children all the time. Since moms are always around, sometimes kids might find this boring, that’s why moms should create special activities to engage children.  Likewise, dads might be unavailable when the kids want most. For example, when the child has a football match, he wants his dad to watch him play.

Research tells that kids who are taken care by dads excel in school and develop problem-solving skills.

Parenting Tips for Dads

Watch him perform: If your child is participating in any competition, attend the event. If he makes it, hug him, kiss him. If he does not make it, praise him for participating.

Take your child to regular medical checkups: You should get all the required vaccines for your child. You also need to take your child to the doctor regularly. Never ignore the health-related complains.

Encourage physical activities: Research shows that brain development is connected with physical activity. Encourage your children to walk, run, play outdoor games.

Make rules: You need to make rules and make your child strictly follow these rules. The rules for the children can be as simple as “do not litter around” or as complex as “do not talk to the strangers.”

Parenting Tips for Moms

Gossip about your child: It makes more sense when your child finds out that you saying good things about him with the dad, instead of praising him directly.

Don’t fight when your child does not eat: Food fight is very common. If your child does not eat a certain food, offer him another dish or ask him what he wants to eat. If he does not want to eat, let it be. Your child will not starve.

Take care of personal hygiene: Encourage your child to brush teeth, wash his hands and feet, take bath.

Encourage your kids to do creative things: Ask your child to sing, dance, write, draw, play instruments. Creative activities like these will boost his mental capacity.

Teach manners: Children are deft in throwing tantrums. One of the ways to control tantrums is by teaching them manners.

How Dads Can Help in Parenting Kids

The widely held notion puts mothers at the forefront of parenting duties. It is true that child birth and breastfeeding give the mother an edge over the father when it comes to parenting, however, this does not mean dads do not have anything to do in parenting their kids. Actually, dads have a very special role, and they can teach a lot of things to their kids.

If you are a new parent or soon to become a parent and you are looking for inspiration, here are a few parenting tips that you might find useful, whether you are a father or a mother.

Have a high opinion about your kid: You should always have high opinions about your child. When you have high expectations, your kid will become more confident. Your role as a dad is to encourage your child to perform better in schools, in sports, and in other competitions.

Dads can teach survival skills: Mothers maybe be good at teaching kids how to make the bed, but only dads can teach how to survive the wilderness. Dads can teach about bugs, animals, survival skills, etc. Every moment, life brings surprises, you will never know what will come next. Therefore, your role as a dad is to make your child ready for various kinds of circumstances, for instance, you can teach them what they can do when earthquakes come, or when a stranger approaches, etc.

Don’t be bossy: Never boss on your child, never judge the child from an ivory tower. Sit next to your child and try to understand his mind, thoughts, and actions.

When you respect your child, your child will respect you: You may want to debate on this but it is true that our society is basically a patriarchal society, where dads have a higher position in the family. Due to this privilege dads have, they are always seeking respect from their kids. There is nothing wrong with this desire, however, in order to get respect, you need to show respect. Love and respect are a two-way process. If you love and respect your kid, he/she will certainly love and respect you.

Give them autonomy: Whether you have noticed this or not, however, when it comes to confiding something, children will always trust their mothers. That’s because they see mothers as friends, whereas dads are the boss in the family. In order to break this chain, dads should give autonomy to their children. Giving autonomy means allowing the kid to take decision for himself, and explore his distinct personality and individuality. You giving birth to your child does not mean you are the owner of your child. You need to treat them like a person. Kids are not materials to be possessed, they are distinct personalities. They want respect, they don’t want to be taken for granted, they want to be understood, and they want to be heard.

Spend quality time: Most of the dads believe that their role is just t provide the necessity for the kids (food, clothes, education, etc.). Well, dads need to provide these things, but once you provide these things, your role does not end. You cannot wash your hands from parenting duties just because you are the breadwinner. Your kids want your time, they want to hand out with you, they want you to play with them.

First published on Forum Coin in author's name