The key facts

  • Child psychologist Darya Dugentsova recommends that fathers devote at least 45 minutes a day to their children; regularity matters more than the length of individual meetings
  • The format of communication should change with age: from jointly exploring the world with toddlers to conversations and walks with teenagers
  • Regular activities do not replace a father’s readiness to respond to a child’s requests

Advice for busy fathers

Fathers with demanding work schedules need to find time every day to communicate with their children in order to maintain close relationships and avoid becoming a stranger to the child. Child psychologist Darya Dugentsova gave this warning in an interview with Life.ru, as reported by Gazeta.Ru. According to her recommendation, men should devote at least 45 minutes a day to their children, and what matters is not the length of individual meetings but their regularity: for example, 20 minutes with a young child in the morning and another 25 minutes in the evening.

Why predictability matters

According to the psychologist, a child should understand that dad will always be able to find time for them. This predictability fosters a sense of security and builds trust. “A child remembers not so much the words as the feeling: ‘when I need dad, he responds.’ It is precisely from these small things that trust is built, and it will stay with the child for a long time,” Dugentsova explained.

How to change the format of communication as the child grows

The expert reminded parents of the need to change the format of communication as the child grows older. With children under three, fathers are advised to explore the world together, touching and handling objects. With preschoolers — playing board or active games in which the parent participates on equal footing with the child. With primary school pupils, it is worth building construction sets, making crafts and reading books, showing genuine interest in what is happening and asking questions. In communicating with teenagers, the psychologist advised showing respect for their views and boundaries: going for walks, doing sports and talking about everyday topics — this makes it easier for a teenager to share their worries.

Limits of shared activities

At the same time, Dugentsova warned that even regular shared activities cannot replace a father’s willingness to respond to a child’s requests: adults should, as far as possible, set aside their own affairs for the sake of their children’s appeals. It is worth noting that the Gazeta.Ru publication also mentions an earlier article by the psychologist on how parents can find common ground with their child; the details of those recommendations are not given in the available sources.

Why this matters

The advice concerns working parents who find it difficult to build a connection with their children due to being overloaded. A practical conclusion follows from the facts presented: closeness with a child is built not on rare long meetings but on daily short, yet predictable, periods of time adapted to the child’s age. At the same time, as the psychologist emphasizes, what remains key is responding to the child’s requests, not just formally set-aside time.