How many times have mothers and fathers argued about roughhousing with young kids, or why dad is a different disciplinarian than mom? After roughly four decades working in pediatrics and child psychiatry, Dr. Kyle Pruett knows the answer: Moms and dads simply parent differently, and that’s fine for everyone involved. Including the kid. On this episode of Paternal, Dr. Pruett examines some of the fundamental differences between men and women - how they communicate, how they discipline, even how they read to their kids at night - and reflects on how far both men and women have come when it comes to accepting engaged dads into the fold of parenting.

He also reflects on the results of a variety of eye-opening studies over the years on engaged fathers and the relationships with their kids. As it turns out, dad often has a deep effect on children’s ideas of gender roles, how they control their violent impulses, how they solve problems and how they feel about themselves every day.

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