The Role of Father in Nurturing Sexual Nature

It takes a balanced role of a mother and a father to nurturing sexual nature of a child. Especially father, it is stated in the Qur'an surah Annisa verse 34 that "a man is the maintainers of a women because Allah has made some of them to excel others..". From 17 parenting dialogues found in the Qur'an, 14 of them are the dialogues between a father and a child. It shows that the role of a father indeed significant in a child development, especially in nurturing sexual nature.

The role based on the child's age

3-6 years: A father has to be close to both his son or daughter

7-10 years: A father has to be close to his son, so that he can nurture the son's sociocentric aspect

11-14 years: A father has to be close to his daughter as an effort to give the idea of an ideal role of a man

The role based in nurturing sexual nature

To the boy:

1. As a role model as a child, a husband, and a father.
2. Spend time to chat or play with the child.
3. Go to masjid together
4. Teach the boy to clean after himself
5. Do physical exercise and sports
6. Teach the signs of akil baligh
7. Teach about discipline and responsibility

To the girl:

1. To give a good example
2. Prevent the child from unhealthy TV shows/ content
3. Teach a clear boundary between male and female
4. Teach the child to cover up
5. To be the first figure to teach the right attitude towards the opposite sex
6. To give a good protection and safety
7. To give strength and confidence
8. To teach about discipline and responsibility

Personal take on this topic:

A mother and a father share the same responsibilities when it comes to nurture the child. The presence of a father gives a significant role to the development of a child. In my opinion, the role of a father in nurturing sexual nature is irreplaceable. The absence of this role may cause deviations to the child.