Symposium about fatherhood.

Symposium about fatherhood.

"Fathers are too important to ignore." With this message, the ChristenUnie organized a symposium on fatherhood on 11 May 2026 in Nieuwspoort, during the week of the family. Director of Ouders & Onderwijs Lobke Vlaming looks back: 'We need to involve fathers much more actively, because that is very good for children.'

Why fatherhood was central 

The reason for the symposium was the motto ‘Involved fathers, thriving society’. The ChristenUnie pleads for more attention to the role of fathers.

During the meeting, scientists, caregivers, parents and social organizations came together to discuss what the impact of involved fatherhood is, what happens if fathers are absent, and how we can better support fathers.

Lobke Vlaming, director of Ouders & Onderwijs says: ‘In many places the mother is still automatically looked at and the father is sometimes forgotten. For example, schools often routinely call the mother when a child is sick or when something has happened. And fathers sometimes experience at the consultation office that mainly the mother is spoken to. It is important that fathers get a full role and that we become more aware of how we can do this.’ 

Valuable small moments

An important part of the symposium was the contribution of educators and researchers. For example, professor Louis Tavecchio showed that fathers make a unique contribution to the development of children.

Children of involved fathers develop better and are more resilient to stress, father involvement has a proven positive effect on school performance and self-confidence and even small moments together (such as reading or playing) can already make a difference.

Still, the reality is that fathers are not involved enough in upbringing and education, while they often want to be.

Fathers face obstacles

During the symposium, attention was also paid to the obstacles fathers face. For example, conversations with fathers (for example with a migration background) show that:

• they do not always feel seen or addressed,
• the environment does not always invite an active role,
• and negative influences or stress in the living environment can limit their involvement.

It was also mentioned that schools often still automatically focus on mothers first.

What can parents learn from this?

The most important lesson of the symposium is actually very practical: involved fatherhood does not have to be big or complicated.

For parents (and especially fathers) this means:

1. Being present is more important than being perfect
   It is not about how much time you have, but about attention and involvement.
2. As a father, make your voice heard at school
   Go to parent meetings, ask questions and show interest. That makes a proven difference for your child.
3. Consciously share upbringing together
   Children benefit from different perspectives and styles of both parents.
4. Ask for help if needed
   Support is not just for mothers.