Growing Up Without A Biological Father

The first three months at home with a newborn will take up all your strength unlike anything else, it is the time where forming a bond with your child is entirely significant. There has been circumstances where people feel worthless due to the absence of a parent. Therefore, the bond that is created with your family in those couple months is so important to uphold because it’s a time that helps adjusts to the new life in the household, and helps get things ready in the home. Simply the value of having one's parents to their side, I feel makes such a difference in how the child is raised or even how the child perceives their own life. Growing up without my biological father had a dramatic effect on my life that was difficult for me to overcome. I was mostly raised by my grandparents due to my mom working full time. She had me on the weekends if not only for an hour or so in the afternoons when she would be home. Growing up and seeing others with their parents always made me feel like everyone else had something I could never obtain. Everyday I think about my father: who he is, how he looks, or if he has a family now. Even though I never had my biological father to my side there was someone who came into my life to fill that role of a father, which made me realize that bond is extremely important.

This hands-on engagement can set a pattern that lasts long after the leave ends. For example, in one study of working fathers in the U.S., those who took leaves of two weeks or more were much more likely to be actively involved in their child’s care nine months after birth – including feeding, changing diapers, and getting up in the night. 6 Studies from other countries have confirmed that fathers who take more paternity leave have higher satisfaction with parenting and increased engagement in caring for their children”