Most anyone that has been a part of a family understands that all parts of it are interconnected and individual aspects and members of that family are hard to examine on their own without considering the whole family system. The Family Systems Theory supports this way of thinking and is a way of making sense of a family by understanding it as a complex system of family members who all have a purpose or a function. Coparenting has been shown to be invaluable for children’s emotional wellbeing, making both parents crucial to a functioning family system.
Studies show that there are strong correlations between coparenting relationship quality and father engagement in caregiving and play. These positive coparenting relationships provide support for positive spillover in the rest of the family system. Achieving these kinds of positive coparenting relationships can start with establishing paternity. There are so many benefits to establishing paternity for not only the child but the parents and the rest of the family system as well.
