We thank Dr Rebecca Chan for her letter (Fathers have important role to play in parenting, Aug 26).

Indeed, a father's role and presence is crucial in shaping his children's psycho-social development or well-being.

Children look to fathers for comfort and assurance whenever they feel insecure or uncertain.

When a father is more involved with his children from a young age, the children usually take a keener interest in learning in school.

Taking on an active fathering role also means being the supportive half to your spouse. Parenthood is an exciting, meaningful and fulfilling journey when both the mother and father work together as a team.

Each plays a different but complementary role in educating and nurturing the children. The mutual support given to each other will also ensure neither one of the parents is burnt out.

Community partners like the Centre for Fathering, with its "Dads for Life" movement, and Families for Life Council have been pivotal in promoting the importance of fatherhood, especially in helping to change some of the workplace policies that help new fathers be more involved at home or support their spouse. The Centre for Fathering also launched the "Mums for Life" initiative earlier this year to help mums support and encourage dads towards active parenting.

Apart from the national initiatives and movements, fathers can also find helpful online resources, ranging from tips to support their spouse emotionally and physically during pregnancy, to interactive videos teaching dads how to bond with their newborn or build good parent-child relationships.

The Baby Bonus Parenting Resources portal (www.babybonus.msf.gov.sg) provides a wide range of information for new parents with young children up to six years old, with topics tailored to different stages of their parenting journey.

Arthur Ling

Advisory Panel on Parenting

Baby Bonus Parenting Resources