Why the warning 'wait til your father gets home' can backfire

"The study was carried out by researchers at Brigham Young University in Utah, and concluded that as shouting by fathers was louder and more forceful, it would be associated more with anger.

They added that this could make it seem like anger is a normal or acceptable way to behave.

The study's author Laura Padillo Walker told the Times: 'Our message to dads is that it’s really important to be kind and gentle with older children — even gentler sometimes than mum.

'Forget traditional messages urging you to be the harsh disciplinarian. Forget ‘Wait till your father gets home’. Hostility from dad tends to produce negative outcomes."