The Importance of the Role of the Father in Child Development

Million Happy Dads founder and CEO, Mark Pereira has been fortunate enough to have had a career working closely with successful people, influential CEOs and dynamic executives, but believes some of his biggest influences has been from his three father figures who taught him life lessons, values and work ethics that propelled him towards personal and professional success. www.millionhappydads.com

“The role of a father in child development cannot be underestimated. A father’s own father is often the most powerful influence in shaping how he fathers his children,” says Mark. “It comes down to what you were taught on a subconscious level as a child. For example, if you had a father who was skilled with managing money, you would potentially grow up to maintain a fairly stable financial position.”
 
One of Mark’s greatest influences was his grandfather, Michael who had a passion for sport and personally trained him when he was a young boy. Michael’s own determination saw him representing his country during the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, and also playing soccer on the Singapore National Team, after experiencing an early journey of hardship as a Prisoner of War during the Second World War. www.millionhappydads.com
 
“My grandfather completely understood what children need from parents, and despite his full time job and national sporting commitments when he was new father, he tried to balance his commitments to create space to spend more time with his young family,” says Mark. “Both of my parents worked full time when I was young, so my grandfather once he was retired, stepped in to offer me additional pateral support when my own dad was away at work. I learnt the importance of practice, setting challenging goals and achieving them in small steps from my grandfather. He used to always say, ‘Never ever stop moving that stick forward. Ever’, referring to the stick that represented my furthest jump in the long jump pit when he used to take me out to practice my sport, and that’s just stuck with me my entire life.”
 
Mark recalls that his grandfather was a traditional man with strong values, a stark contrast to his father, Julian whom despite also having very strong values, is described as ‘quite new age’, being very active and involved in the home and especially in the kitchen.
 
According to Mark, his father Julian taught him the greatness of humility, sharing and the importance of offering and receiving support to family and friends. Growing up in a poor community, Julian always shared whatever he could with those who were less fortunate. www.millionhappydads.com
 
“My father emphasised the importance of lending a hand whenever possible, no matter how small. He is a fantastic cook and host, and always told me, “Good food, great friends, and a lot of laughter helps break down barriers that many other things cannot’,” says Mark. “He was an incredibly generous man whose door was always open and it wasn’t unusual that most weekends he would cater dinners at home for up to twenty people, some who would just be dropping by to say hello, and before they knew it they would be handed a plate and he would pull out a chair for them to sit down and break bread with everyone else. This taught me the value of family and good friends and he is the voice in my ear insisting I always behave like the ‘type of man you want your daughter to marry’.”
 
Later in life, Mark met his father in law, Warren who is a ‘quiet but happy man’. Warren showed Mark that spending more time with family is the most important thing in life, through his absolute commitment to his children and grandchildren’s growth, happiness and success, through love and nurturing. www.millionhappydads.com

“My father in law always tells and shows his family that he loves them, and is present whenever they need him,” says Mark. “He once told me that family can be a complex thing, but it was my choice whether I kept it simple or over complicated it. That’s stayed with me through my marriage.”
 
Mark’s three paternal influences inspired him to found Million Happy Dads, a company that provides a supportive and collaboration online platform to allow fathers to find solutions to everyday parenting problems. Million Happy Dads shows how spending more time with family can positively impact on a child’s growth and emphasises the importance of the role of the father in child development.
 
“There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect dad’, which is why we provide a trusted place where ‘real dads’ can come and get the support, inspiration and guidance they need to take that first step to creating a better life for themselves and their family,” says Mark.
 
To find out more about the range of online courses, sessions and programs Million Happy Dads offers to give guidance to what children need from parents, visit www.millionhappydads.com.
 
 
About Million Happy Dads
 
Million Happy Dads is passionate about providing a supportive and collaborative online platform to allow fathers to find solutions to everyday parenting problems. Million Happy Dads recognises the shortage of support opportunities for new and existing proactive dads within their local and online communities, and the absence of assistance to help them nurture and develop their parenting skills.
 
The company dedicates itself to creating happier dads on a daily basis, by offering a range of time-flexible, on-demand online video courses, personal coaching sessions and parenting programs. They work with fathers who feel overwhelmed, out of their comfort zone or stressed, by helping them regain control of their work and family responsibilities.
 
Million Happy Dads also provides dads with access to a trusted ‘dad’ community, to help fathers learn and grow their skills as a parent, to take the first steps towards a more balanced, fulfilling and happier life for themselves and their family.
 

Contact Information

Mark Pereira

CEO

Million Happy Dads

(61) 421 800 731

mark@millionhappydads.com