Single parent homes

 

The issue of fathers and their roles and responsibilities in the family, and society as a whole, took centre stage last Sunday when Guyana joined other countries, mainly those in the West, in celebrating Father’s Day. Normally, once Father’s Day approaches, religious organisations and other social groups utilise the opportunity to re-emphasise the need for fathers to take up their responsibilities more seriously so as to help create and build stronger family units.

It is generally accepted that when both parents are present in a home and carry out their roles fully in nurturing and providing the necessary guidance and support for children; they (children) turn out to lead more responsible and progressive lives as adults. On the other hand, when families disintegrate and one of the parents is missing from the home, there are lasting negative effects on children, especially in cases where such disintegration happens when the children are very young.

In Guyana, while there are no readily available statistics, it is believed that there is a huge percentage of children growing up in single-parent headed homes; in most cases without the much needed guidance and support of a father figure. Even in some cases where the fathers are present, they do not play an active role in their children’s early years of development. No one can deny the importance of fathers in helping to nurture and care for children, especially in their early stages of development.

According to a new UNICEF analysis, more than half – or 55 per cent – of children aged between three and four years old in 74 countries – approximately 40 million – have fathers who do not play or engage in early learning activities with them. UNICEF Director of Data, Research and Policy Laurence Chandy said that what these numbers show us is that fathers are struggling to play an active role in their children’s early years.

The UNICEF analysis, which uses Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) data on parenting behaviours, looked at whether children aged three and four engaged in any play and early learning activities with their fathers. The activities include having their father read to the children, tell them stories or sing with them; taking them outside, playing with them; and naming, counting or drawing with them. The MICS is the largest collection of comparable data on parental behaviours in the world.

Certainly, much more could be done to encourage more fathers to play an active role in their young children’s development. The relevant government agencies, religious and community organisations must continue to highlight the importance of love, play, protection and good nutrition for the healthy development of young children’s brains.

According to UNICEF, advances in neuroscience have proven that when children spend their earliest years in a nurturing, stimulating environment, new neural connections can form at a once-in-a-lifetime speed of 1000 per second. These connections help determine their health, ability to learn and deal with stress, and even influence their earning capacity as adults.

Research also suggests that exposure to violence and a lack of stimulation and care can prevent neural connections from occurring; and when children positively interact with their fathers, they have better psychological health, self-esteem and life-satisfaction in the long-term.

The Lancet’s Series, Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale, launched in October 2016, revealed nearly 250 million children under five were at risk of poor development due to stunting and extreme poverty. The Series also revealed that programmes promoting nurturing care — health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, security and safety, and early learning — can cost as little as 50 cents per capita per year when combined with existing health services.

International organisations, such as UNICEF, have embarked on a campaign to encourage governments and the Private Sector to increase spending and influence policies to support early childhood development programmes that focus on providing parents with the resources and information they need to provide nurturing care to their children.

As stated by UNICEF: “We must break down the barriers that prevent fathers from providing their babies and young children a conducive environment for them to thrive, including love, play, protection and nutritious food. We must ensure that all parents have the time, resources and knowledge they need to fully support their children’s early development.”