Loving, Laughing, and Learning: How Father–Child Relationships Contribute to Children's Development in Early Childhood

Societal expectations for fathers have changed significantly over the past decades. The goal of this review is to move away from traditional measures of father involvement and refocus research on father–child relationship processes by examining the affective, social, and cognitive exchanges between children and their fathers that contribute to children's development. First, we briefly highlight some of the significant social and demographic changes that have affected fathering over the past several decades. Second, we review some of the significant theoretical formulations of father involvement, with a recommendation to move beyond measures of father involvement and focus on father–child relationship processes. Third, we target three areas of father–child relationships that promote young children's socioemotional, cognitive, and language development and hold promise for future fathering research: loving (warmth, sensitivity, security), laughing (play, stimulation), and learning (guidance, teaching). We conclude with recommendations for promising new directions for research on father–child relationships.