Nena Arias | June 10, 2019
The righteous man walks in his integrity;His children are blessed after him. (Proverbs 20:7)
Not all people have had the blessing of knowing and growing up with a good father. But those who have had a healthy relationship with their earthly father have been very blessed indeed.
God certainly knew what he was doing when he established the order of family and procreation with male and female components within the bounds of marriage but also what each contributes to the proper formation and upbringing of their children. This is why it is sad that in today’s culture little value is placed on the role of fathers. The evidence of demeaning the valuable influence of fathers to shape their children is everywhere, not only in pop culture but in media and even in government policy.
Most men can impregnate a woman, but being a real father takes a lifetime of effort and dedication with proper values. Fathers play a very important role in every child’s life that cannot be filled by others. This role can have a large impact on a child and help shape the child into the person he or she becomes.
Fathers are much more than just breadwinners and the second adult in the home. Fathers provide the male role bringing protection, strength, security, economic support, and most importantly they are to be the priests of their home providing spiritual guidance. Their parenting skills and contribution is very different from that of a mother. The difference is vital to the healthy development of children.
After proper instruction, fathers can teach and encourage a variety of approaches in dealing with life that stress rules and duty in discipline that teaches the difference between right and wrong, especially by example. They give their children insights into the world of men and how they think and view the world. If the child is a girl, she can learn from her father how a man should treat her with respect and purity of love. If the child is a boy, he learns how to treat the opposite sex with respect and he will emulate his father’s proper leadership skills. Research shows that a married father is substantially less likely to abuse his wife or children than men in any other category.
The combination of a father’s parenting style and a mother’s create a balance to equip their children to face the world with a healthy well-rounded approach to life.
Children want to make their father proud. An involved father promotes inner growth and strength. It instills an overall sense of well-being and self-confidence.
Fathers not only influence who we are inside. The way a father treats his child will influence what he or she looks for in other people. Compassionate fathers, for the most part, create compassionate children.
Girls model their relationships with others based on their father’s character, boys model themselves after their father’s character. Boys will seek approval from their fathers from a very young age. When a father is absent, young boys look to other male figures to set the “rules” for how to behave and survive in the world.
So today, if your dad is still alive, tell him you love him, and thank him for being there!