Why Good Fathers Are Very Important
Fathers! As far as I am concerned, we are the best since sliced bread, isn’t that right, dads? Well, that is so if we are doing what we are supposed to be doing as a dad. In this article, we will be looking at “Why Good Fathers Are Very Important”. The question is, how do you stack up?
Traditionally, the father of the house is the one who goes out and hunts to bring home food for the family, the breadwinner. However, those days are long gone — or are they?
Fathers
The role and responsibility of a father is huge. As good fathers, we need to set an example for our children to follow because they usually mimic us, especially our sons. So let’s be careful as we train up our young children, because this may impact them as adults.
It starts with the way we treat our wife, their mother. The way we treat her may be a reflection of the way our sons treat their wives. Additionally, we need to show our daughters how their spouses should treat them.
Supportive
The way we treat our spouse will speak volumes to our children; they have eyes. So being supportive is not only about bringing money home for the family to live; it’s also about being there, being present. There are times when we will want to hang out with the boys, our friends, and that’s normal, but we also need to hang out with our family, and that’s important.
As good fathers, we need always to remember that they are learning from our actions; if we have a son, we are molding a possible father for tomorrow. Momjunction article on “how to be a good father: qualities and involvement” drives home this important point.
Caring Fathers
Therefore, we need to see it’s a privilege to be a father. Some men want to be fathers and can’t because of different adverse circumstances. A biological father is not all that a father is; this article is not about chastising. It’s about doing the best we can and being the best father we can.
Some men stepped into the role of being a father to a child who didn’t have a father and did a great job. Therefore, it’s about the treatment; we need to treat our wife and children right. If we say we care, we need to show them that we do care.
Nurturing
Here is another area that requires balance because both genders have their strengths. It is written in Proverbs 22:6 that a parent is supposed to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”. How they turn out in the future will be based on how we train them up today; remember, we are forming a pattern for them to follow.
Loving Fathers
That pattern should show in our actions and the way we deal with our family. In my opinion, fathers need to be firm, but we must show love and affection to our children. They need to see the loving side of us; they need to see it in how we treat their mom. And we need to show them love, so there needs to be a balance.
Responsible
Earlier I mentioned how things were in the past, as men used to be the primary breadwinner in the family. Today that is no longer so since many women are now the primary breadwinners, and that’s okay. Responsibilities are not only about the home expenses; it’s like a wrestling tag team working in sync. So we need to play our part to ensure our children grow up to be well-rounded adults.
Therefore, we need to care enough about our family to live a balanced life, especially in work/family life. The responsibilities in the home are as important and sometimes even more important than work.
Patience
As good fathers, we need to learn patience if we are not patient. Do you remember when you were a child? Do you remember the things you did? Someone was patient with us, either at home or at school. This quality is one of the essential qualities because this where we find out how patient we are.
Sometimes, just holding our tongues is crucial because we will be tested in this area daily. Ask yourself this question: do I show my friends more patience than I exhibit my family members?
Forgiving
Just as we made mistakes in the past, so too will our children make mistakes, and when they do, we need to forgive them. For me, patience and forgiveness go hand in hand because we don’t want our children to feel they can’t talk to us. We need to have the lines of communication open because we are the ones they should run to in their time of need. So if they get us angry (and they will), we need to forgive and not hold on to things for too long. At some point in time, we did something that required forgiveness, and we got it.
Conclusion
A father’s role is crucial in the home. He sets the standard for the household. This standard can and will affect future generations to come. So it is our responsibility to do the best job possible when training up our children and the way we treat our spouse. When our children are grown, we don’t want any regrets because we will not get a chance to go back and change it. We also need to leave the stresses of work at the office and not bring home any frustrations. Let’s all do the best we can on this journey because it will affect future generations, for good or ill.