Father's Day - on ties ...

In contemporary society, the exercise of paternity has been gaining more and more due to cultural, social and family transformations. The new family configurations, the changes of roles and the understanding of affective ties, signal the importance of the paternal figure for child development.

Historically, the paternal exercise was evidenced through the educator and disciplining function, rules and rigid and repressive limits. In the current understanding, paternal involvement can be understood as the continuous and genuine participation and concern of the biological or substitute father, about the development and physical and psychological well-being of his child. According to Bowlby's theory of Apego (1988), safe attachment, which is evidenced by the good relationship between parents and children, is mediated by affectivity, responsiveness of parental figures, limit establishment and security, and is a key factor for the mental health of the individual.

In this way, it is attentive that the participation of the father occurs with the creation of a bond of safe and healthy affection and that it repercussions directly in the life of the subject as much as the actions of the maternal figure. So, today it is known that parents are endowed with capabilities and skills for the exercise of maternal function with total mastery! May we offer this space for all those who wish to be real parents.

Happy day to all those who occupy this challenging and beautiful position: to be a father!

article written by Francine Gonçalves (Psychologist CRP 07/20757)