Children name dad their hero

Good news for dads, who’ve been ranked number one as children’s top hero in a survey of close to 600 families.

Some 35.7% of respondents said their children class the male parent as their top role model for being ‘fun’ and ‘strong’.

One said their child’s dad was their number one hero because ‘he’s there every morning and night and is big and strong enough to give her rides on his shoulders’.

The study was conducted in the UK, but Dublin-based clinical psychologist Joanna Fortune isn’t surprised fathers pipped other role models to the post to be named children’s biggest modern-day hero.

Mums came second in the list (24.5%). Fictional characters like Fireman Sam came third (15.6%), while granddads (13.1%) are fourth.

“Parents might be surprised to learn the TV characters their children are exposed to pale in comparison to how they view their parents. Children look up to parents and choose time with them over anyone else.”

Fortune says young children tend to link dads with physical rough-and- tumble. “Mums are softer, more cautious, and good for nurture-based play. Both styles of play are vital to children’s development.”

Today’s dads are more hands-on and, developmentally, it isn’t unusual for toddlers to show preference towards fathers over mothers at some point.

“Until about age two, children identify with their mothers. Moving beyond this stage, they become more interested/aware of others in their circle and find their father intriguing — he’s so different to mother. It’s not personal to either parent, but showing preferences, asserting choice, is a healthy sign of cognitive and emotional growth.”

Young children can be fickle: “They may want Dad to play with them. But when they fall and bump themselves they want Mum to make it better.”

Courage (69.2%) is the top characteristic children look for in a hero, followed by strength (56.7%) and determination (43.7%). Among emergency service heroes, firemen came first (36% of respondents), police were second (17.9%) while the ambulance service came in third (15.6%).

When parents were asked to name who their hero was when they were younger, the majority (32.1%) named their mum, putting the female parent top against dad (26.5%) for their generation.

Commissioned by toy producer Character Options, the study was run by online parenting publication www.ukmums.tv.

Top tips

When child ‘prefers’ other parent:

• Don’t personalise this healthy phase of young children’s development. It won’t last — most likely each parent will have time as preferred one.
• Get in on the game they’re playing — join the action.
• Preferred parent should get out of house for spells, giving other parent and child bonding/connecting time.
• Create weekly activity for you and child. Keep up as ‘your thing together’ throughout this phase.