Joe Carter from the Evangelical Outpost has gathered the following family facts relating to a father’s influence on his children.

1. Fathers’ religiosity is linked to higher quality of parent-child relationships.
2. Fathers who regularly attend religious services are more likely to be engaged in one-on-one activities with their children.
3. Civically active fathers are more likely to participate in youth-related activities.
4. Fathers’ engagement in their children’s activities was linked to higher academic performance.
5. Among adolescent boys, those who receive more parenting from their fathers are less likely to exhibit anti-social and delinquent behaviors.
6. Among adolescent girls, those who have a strong relationship with their fathers are less likely to report experiencing depression.
7. Close father-adolescent bonds protect against the negative influence of peer drug use.
8. Adolescent girls who have a close relationship with their fathers are more likely to delay sexual activity.
9. Adolescent girls whose fathers were present during their childhood are less likely to become pregnant.
10. Adolescent males who report a close relationship with their fathers are more likely to anticipate having a stable marriage in the future.

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there. Please know how important you are to your children.

Note: All of these facts come from the Heritage Foundation’s Family Facts page, where you can find much more research on family, society, and religion. You can visit Joe’s page here for links to sources for each of the specific facts cited above.