Neighbor News
The Impact of Losing a Father: Part Two
Dr. Clatch continues his series on paternal death by focusing on the role of fathers and how their loss can affect families.
Fathers are typically viewed as integral to the stability of the family. In traditional homemaker-breadwinner families – in which fathers are primarily responsible for the financial security of the family – loss can create anxiety about finances and the family’s economic future. This emotional and financial insecurity can create considerable distress for the child. Death of a father can also prompt concern about the health of the surviving mother. Children that viewed their fathers as strong and healthy may develop anxiety about their mother’s wellbeing and her ability to provide and support the family without their father.
For sons that experience the loss of a father, the emotional turmoil that occurs can go much deeper. Young sons may feel as if they did not have the time needed to connect with their father, to learn what they had to teach. Adolescent males may have abandoned their fathers in search of more exciting experiences outside of the home. Failure of fathers and sons to connect can leave a lingering sense of loss.
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