01 Aug For Dads Everywhere… – Aug 12

By Poppy Ivone

I am very grateful to have been blessed with a very caring and involved father in my life, and have the double blessing to be married to one. Unfortunately, this excellent breed of men is very rare and few and far in between! The findings in the early childhood field attest that there is a lack of men—usually fathers—in the lives of many young children. The reality is that there are far more single-female headed households than male-headed for a variety of legal and cultural reasons (Wardle, 2008). Furthermore, the significant male in the child’s life may not be the biological father. The most obvious reason for this is the deep-seated belief that women are naturally predisposed to caring for young children, and men are not. This is because in most cultures, women have been charged with the responsibility of raising children, both in the home and other settings. Regrettably, this kind of sentiment is frequently used as an excuse for men not to be involved in their family life.

This is very sad because there is no question that fathers do play an important part in their children’s lives. The majority of studies affirm that having a positive male role model helps an adolescent boy develop positive gender-role characteristics and that adolescent girls are more likely to form positive opinions of men and are better able to relate to them.

According to a report in “Fathers and Their Impact on Children’s Well-Being” : “Even from birth, children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections.” The influence of a father’s involvement extends into adolescence and young adulthood. Numerous studies find that an active and nurturing style of fathering is associated with better verbal skills, intellectual functioning, and academic achievement among adolescents.

The above are just some of the quantifiable benefits of having a real father figure in someone’s life. I believe the role of a father extends much more beyond that. The Bible says, “The righteous who walks in his integrity– blessed are his children after him!” [Proverbs 20:7 ESV]

“Even from birth, children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections.”

I want to encourage men to rise up, fulfill their calling, and be the fathers that the world so needed. There are so many ways to be a father—from nature to nurture, from physical to spiritual. Apostle Paul was never known to have children but was like a father to Timothy. May God bless every man who holds others in his arms and teaches them to live for God.