There is nothing like the father-son relationship. As a child grows, there will be many people who will influence him and his development into adulthood. As a father, you are and should be his most important role model, he needs you.
Things a child needs from his father
While boys and girls learn differently and have different needs, here are five key things every boy needs from his father.
1. That you show love and respect for his mother
When you love and show respect for the mother of your child, you are showing her how to treat her mother, her sisters, and all the women she will meet in her life. This will lay the groundwork for the relationships he will have later in his life. If you are divorced and the relationship is difficult, do what you can to always treat the mother of his children with respect.
2. He needs to see you fail, not just succeed.
The best teacher is failure. The best kind of failure to learn from is someone else’s. When your child sees you fail and handle failure well, he sees that it’s okay to make mistakes and that mistakes can be great teachers. A boy who is not afraid of making mistakes will grow into a man positioned to accept and conquer great challenges.
3. He needs you to be present
As you fulfill all the different roles that you have, you can find yourself being pulled in multiple directions. He needs you to be present in his education, in his social life, in all areas of his life. Some areas aren’t meant just for mom, or just her friends. Your presence in all areas will give him the support he needs.
4. He needs your love regardless of his choices.
Regardless of the decisions your child makes, he needs you to love him, even if they are different from yours. Even when they are wrong choices. Your love and guidance will open the door to the trust and acceptance that build your relationship. And it will build your self-esteem.
5. He needs you to discipline him with love
When you discipline your child, you set limits and expectations. He’s going to make mistakes like you did when you were a kid and like you do now. But he also needs to know that his actions have consequences. Disciplining him in love will teach him to consider the consequences of his actions. This will prepare him to think about and evaluate the choices he makes now and in the future.
A son will always need his father, whether he shows it or not, says it or not, the figure of the father is essential for the child to have a role model.