Fact:» [1] Fathers who reported strong authoritarian views were involved relatively less in weekday caregiving, playing, teaching, and nighttime soothing and in weekend teaching during
early infancy... Attitudes consistent with authoritarian parenting, in which
demands for
obedience and behavioral control of children are prominent, appear to have lasting, negative effects on fathering even
early in life, long before parent - child conflicts and matters of discipline become common...» [2] Consistent with prior work linking maternal attitudes and father involvement, fathers engaged in relativelyless caregiving, playing, and teaching on weekends during
early infancy when their partners held highly protective attitudes... Although an initial lack of experience or support might be expected to diminish father involvement over time, relations between maternal protective attitudes and fathers» relative involvement did not hold longitudinally... the lack of longitudinal relations may suggest that father involvement is primarily self - determined and that mothers» attitudes are in part a consequence of how involved fathers actually are in childrearing.»