Dads are often the first male figure in a young boy’s life. They teach him how to be a man, and more importantly, they show him how to love like one. But what happens when there is no dad around? Boys who grow up without fathers are more likely to end up in prison, teenage girls who don’t have a father figure around are more prone to getting pregnant and boys who don’t spend time with their father will also lack important life skills like how to deal with conflict or socialize properly. So what does this mean for society? It means that there is a lot at stake when it comes to dads!
First, let me say I am writing this from the perspective of an expert…..ok maybe not. I am a 41-year-old father of 4. My stepson is 18, daughter one is 14, daughter two (or 1a) is 11, and the baby girl is 3. I have learned so much over the past years about what it means to be a father.
Right now I am sitting in a hotel room because I had to go out of town to work for a month. This morning when I woke I had three crises to handle before I went to work. The first was the oldest daughter’s laptop had an issue that was the end of the world. The second was my son had a form to fill out that had a question on it no one knew how to answer. My second oldest daughter needed a video game for her computer. Then my son needed some advice on a conversation that he had already had but wasn’t sure went well. Oh and my dad text me because he needed to know when I would be home.
When I called my wife after putting out the first she laughed and told me good morning. She made the comment that I am the glue that holds the family together. When I thought about it I realized that is the best explanation for what a father is that I could ever think of, Glue.
A father is what holds our family together. Without the responsibility that I have for everyone in my household to get along and work together things would be much different. When I was a kid, there were no cell phones, the TV was boring, and back then if someone wanted to talk to you they would actually call. When I got out of Marine Corps, I met my wife and was introduced to her son. In the blink of an eye, we were married and it was time to be a father.
I often look at the movies and popular topics in our culture, and I see that there is very little time spent talking about what it means to grow up without a dad or on why dads are important. It is almost as if society is saying that fathers are not needed or wanted.
The reason I wrote this article was to bring awareness and to try and explain what a difference a father makes in the life of a child. A son needs his father, and so does a daughter, but they need it in different ways. Fathers with daughters learn how to love unconditionally, work through difficult times in life, and are the sidekicks when they need to be. With sons, fathers learn how to play ball, show toughness when it is needed but make sure they are loving when their sons need it. I also think that the bond between a father and son or daughter is as strong as any relationship can be. It is built on time spent together, memories made and watching each other grow up.
So today if you have children in your life try sitting down and talking to them about what they think a dad means or does for them. Ask them why they think dads are important and what it means to be a father. I would also ask what do you think of how dads appear in the media.
I know for me, this conversation with my children was eye-opening and lead to some great conversations between us all. These conversations reminded me of how much responsibility I have as a parent to make sure my kids understand the world and how special it is to be a father.
Fathers help children learn how to deal with conflict.
Fathers teach their daughters how to be wives, mothers, and manage a household. I know that sounds strange but think about this. If your daughter never sees how a family can work then they will not know how to do it themselves. I treat my wife with respect and in turn, I expect my daughters to demand the same thing in their future husbands. We are a team in our marriage but there are times when emotions are running wild when I will have to step in and put my foot down as the head of the household.
I think it is important for fathers to help raise boys to be men. To make sure that they know the difference between right and wrong, how to treat others, and to show them what it means to be a man. Just like with daughters it is very important to teach a boy how to be a father and husband. He needs to see a man taking care of their family and treating their wife the way a wife should be treated. Another thing a man needs to understand is the importance of working. If you teach your children to have a good work ethic then no matter what hits them in life they will be ok.
Conclusion
In today’s society, fathers are becoming a rare commodity. The lack of time spent with their children and the changing dynamics in the household has lead to many young boys growing up without any type of male figure around. This can have serious consequences for our future generations as these children grow older and try to find themselves or become productive members of society. That is why it is so important that we take more time out of our busy days to spend quality time with those who need us most, our family! If you feel like this article resonated with you then be sure to help us out by sharing it on social media.
