Fathers Day happens this coming Sunday.  So we hope you are busily planning something special for the men in your lives.  As has been our custom, our FLASS Father’s Day blog will pause from our usual topics covering lung diseases. Instead, we will bring you some food for thought as we write today’s topic in tribute to all the fathers, coast to coast.

At FLASS, staff and doctors function like a family.  And we honor our patients as a family also.  We believe that “now, more than ever, is a great time to celebrate what it means to be a father.”

Fathers Day:  How Much Are You Like Your Dear Old Dad?

Father's Day Heroes Can Burp Babies Also.

“Home Sweet Home”

 

Although our topic won’t be lung disease, it will pertain to science, specifically to scientific research and fatherhood.  You see, here at FLASS we think you might have noticed that you are just a little like your dad. Though surprising, that is true in more ways than one.

Likewise, in his honor on this Father’s Day Week, let’s look at 3 Ways the role of fatherhood has intensified over the last generation.

Introducing Fatherhood and Fatherly Research: 

The experts at the National Fatherhood Initiative state that a “father has a great positive impact on a child’s life…”Father’s Day is the perfect time to realize the value of this positive impact of Fatherhood.  Likewise, the research revealed that children who have lots of father-child contact in their first 10 years reap some special rewards

  • They have fewer “behavioral” issues
  • And such lucky kids make genuinely higher grades on reading achievement exams—even if Dad does not much like reading.

Whereas we see a lot of research similar to the above for mothers and their relationship to children, FLASS finds it interesting that there is not very much research available about fathers. “But every now and then,” say the experts, “a study will come out to give us better insight into fatherhood and its importance.”

Fascinating Fathers Day and Fatherhood Fact 1. Are We Like Our Dads Or Our Moms at the Genetic Level?

 

The University of North Carolina found that in terms of genetic makeup, mammals are more like their fathers than their mothers. Well, since we are mammals, that means we are more like our dads than our moms.

Do you know why?  “Even though we get the same amount of genetic mutations from our parents, we actually use more of the DNA we get from our dads.”

In the medical profession, this knowledge helps us to study all kinds of diseases. Did you know, that the severity of a disease can be completely different if you inherit it from your mother or your father?

Fascinating Fathers Day and Fatherhood Fact 2:  Change of Life Expectations:  for Dads?

Father's Day Heroes Are Always Ready to Come to Your Aid

Super Dad, Our Hero

 

Of course, we know that pregnant women endure tons of hormone changes. However, the University of Michigan recently discovered that “expectant fathers showed drops in testosterone and estradiol, which is a form of estrogen.

Furthermore, the hormone changes typically happen in the early stages of a mate’s pregnancy. Here’s the amazing part of the research:  “Researchers believe the changes occur due to a process happening within a man by just thinking of becoming a father.”

And, even more amazing, the study concluded that the fathers-to-be with the larger declines in testosterone were the very same ones that were more engaged and supportive of the spouses and the babies-to-be. Now, there is something to really celebrate every single Father’s Day.

Fascinating Fathers Day and Fatherhood Fact 3:  A New Look at The Most Neglected and Maligned Dads of Fathers Day

 

Scientific Studies, not lawyers might have the last say about Deadbeat Dads. And they might not be what you think they are.  Not Deadbeats…Not at all.   “Sometimes, things between a mother and a father don’t work out.”
Divorce ensues, and some parents learn to share child-rearing even though they’re separated. In contrast, at times only the father or the mother raise the children.  (You might wonder why a blog extolling Father’s Day would take on this topic, but read on to discover something rare.)

  • Absolutely no one on the planet thinks men should abandon their babies, but TIME Magzine reported in 2011, fathers only made 61 percent of divorced fathers made child support payments to the mothers of their children. This statistic made fatherhood in our nation look very bleak indeed
  • However, a scientific study from the Journal of Marriage and Family explained the statistic with surprising results. The researchers studied 367 lower-income fathers.  They found that many fathers who did not pay child support in cash still contributed to their children’s lives.
  • What’s more, they discovered that fathers who did not pay cash often made up for it in “baby products, clothes, school expenses, and food.” Precise research revealed that many of these Dads gave at least $60 a month per child. The gifts and the money were just off the grid, under the table, lost to the public eye.
  • The scientists decided that dads wanted to enjoy the feeling of giving their kids stuff. Plus, that way they need not hand money to the moms. And, they got more accolades, applause and attention from their children.
So the Deadbeat Dad is not always as Deadbeat as you might surmise.

Fathers Day and Fascinating Fatherhood Fact 5:  Who Can Be a Father and What Does it Take?

 

Father's Day Heroes Love Family Times

Happy Father’s Day From Our Family to Yours!

To honor fathers and fatherhood, we turned our scientific research to all sorts of sources in science, history, and literature. Then we wondered, “Who would better know the best attributes of a Father than a Mom?”  So we turned to a Mom’s blog and found the characteristics of a good father.  The experts at Momjunction were happy to comply.  They told us about the traits of a good father and the qualities of true fatherhood:

A good father is protective.
He must show that he feels affection like it is his middle name.
Dad represents a wall of trust and security for his family.
No matter what failures happen, Dad is the source of encouragement.
Until we can stand on our own, he consistently provides the necessities of life.
Every day, and every way, he respects the mother of his children.
He Genuinely Makes Spending time with him fun for kids
He is a great teacher, not only in school lessons but in life lessons.

So our Fascinating Father’s Day and Fatherhood Fact 5 were not nearly as extensive in the scholarly effort as the other 4, but they certainly describe people we will be celebrating this Sunday.  Happy Father’s Day from the FLASS family to yours.

For more information about Father’s Day, check out this unique online resource.