PORTLAND, Ore. — A stereotype for parent/child playtime is usually that dads are rough, loud and physical and moms are not.
But is there an approach to playtime that helps a child's development?
Natasha Cabrera studies parents' actions and the effect on their child's social development -- specifically during something called "intrusive play."
That's where the parent takes decisions away from the child.
"So the child picks up a truck. The parent might say, 'Oh, let's play with this.' or take the truck away and don't let the child interact with the toy," Cabrera said.
Researchers studied a group of families and taped playtime when the children were 24 and 48 months old.
The researchers found that dads were more intense during intrusive play than moms, but here's the kicker:
"Moms, when they're intrusive, even though they are not as intense as dads, they really have a negative emotion. They're frowning. They are unhappy. They are not smiling. Dads are intrusive, but they're happy," Cabrera said.
Researchers found the emotional tone of playtime was more important than the activity itself.
For example, when moms were unhappy and intrusive, children were less sociable.
And when moms were happy, the children were more sociable.
Here's a Spanish-language version:
