Yesterday (19th June 2011) was father’s day, and while many people where wishing their dad’s ‘Happy Father’s day’, a few others made those wishes to their mothers who have acted as fathers as well as mothers to them.
While in church, the Men were asked to stand up, so that the whole congregation could wish them a happy father’s day i.e for both fathers and fathers to be. A few of them grinned at being appraised, but I wondered to myself if many of them really knew what it took to be a father, i.e a father worth having.
Sometime ago, my pastor mentioned that a good father is one who left a good legacy behind for his children. By definition, a legacy is something handed down from one after he has gone. His question was, ‘What would you leave behind for your children to remember you by? Would you be good father if you pass on and leave behind for your children a long line of bills to pay? Unless they truly love you, your children would probably be glad you are gone.’
I’m not a Man, but I’m a child born of a father. Whilst it’s probably easy to celebrate Father’s day but fatherhood is a lifetime of responsibilities and dedication. How a father lives and influences his children leaves a mark on generations to come.
There’s a difference between the ways a Mother would teach her Children about Love, it would involve a lot of emotions. But when a father teaches his children about love, there would be strength in it. We all talk about the importance and role of a mother in a child’s life but the truth is a Father’s role is equally just as important. If you think as a father, you don’t have a lot to offer except finances in the home, then you are super wrong. Why do you think many ladies have ‘daddy issues’, why do you think many ladies enjoy being in relationships with way older men, it’s simply because they are looking for some sort of paternal love they never got from their fathers; they are looking for some sort of cover or protection they never got from their fathers. You might think I’m not a Man, so what do I know about this sort of thing, but trust me, I do know. They say the men who don’t know how to treat women, were never taught by their fathers, and in some sense, there is truth in this.
A father’s legacy isn’t essentially the money he leaves behind for his children, because even if he leaves money and properties with no instruction on how to use this wisely; how valuable will this legacy be? A father’s legacy I believe are most importantly the values he leaves behind. They are values on love and patience, perseverance, wealth and not essentially riches, integrity, vision, mission, discipline and motivation and counseling, a home (which is different from a house), and good memories to live by. One of the best gifts or legacies a father can give to his children is to love their mother. It is a proven fact that when parents live harmoniously, they create well adjusted kids. A father mostly influences a child’s self worth than the mother, because a Man represents strength. How a child perceives his worth in his father’s eyes would influence their lives either positively or negatively.
It is from a father’s legacy that the world would know what would leave on, after a Man is gone. So, to all the great fathers out there, know that you are loved. Happy father’s day!
So on point.
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