strengths

• play important role as secondary attachment figure

  -research consistently shows fathers more playful, physically active & better at providing challenging situations

  -lack of sensitivity can be seen as positive as it encourages child to develop problem solving skills

  -child need to develop greater communication skills & learn to think for themselves if father is less responsive
• when male is primary caregiver, they adopt behaviours of typical mother

  -Field filmed 4 month old babies interacting with : primary caregiver mothers

  primary caregiver fathers

  secondary caregiver fathers

  -PC fathers spent more time smiling, imitating & holding babies compared to SC fathers

  -key to attachment is therefore level of responsiveness not gender of parent