Father involvement has increased dramatically over the past several decades, and simultaneously, the role of fathers in their families has evolved from conceptions of fathers as distant breadwinners to a more holistic recognition that they are equal co-parents.
Many friends are starting to have kids in my world. Myself included. It's an exciting time with lots of unknowns. In general, life-changing times can send us down the wrong path of focus. Knowing this, I've taken some time to digest materials around the father-child relationship at its earliest stages.
To set the table, this topic isn't new. As you can see, it's becoming more and more popular with medical professionals across the globe. Given all the macro events we've faced to date, I imagine lots of rich material comes out of the next few years will be really impactful. Companies will launch to help solve the issues, medical professionals will unlock new discoveries to give fathers the best chance at putting these early ages of childhood development first and most importantly, a public discussion will be had to ensure fathers make this a priority.
I am very optimistic remote-based work and rapid technology advancement allows our children to close the cognitive gap as the two play hand-in-hand. The key is to ensure the time spent with children is optimized for the best outcome prior to traditional schooling. When that time comes, it's imperative we get ahead of issues found in a 2012 study which found that only 51 percent of parents take their children outside to walk or play each day, and some kindergarten classes have removed recess altogether.
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