STATESIDE STORIES: FATHER’S DAY!

Father’s Day in the States is Sunday, June 16th. That is the day in which we recognize what fathers do for their children, which is quite varied and something often to boast about.

Fathers tend to be models for their children, disciplinarians and authority figures. That is the way it is in the more traditional households. The Father tries to be the “breadwinner” (which means he ‘brings in the dough’) and the mother does the many things required to raise the children.

But in modern households, Fathers have taken to bathing, diapering and feeding their young. They carry them in special baby carriers on their backs or dangling from their necks, and they do quite a good job of co-parenting, considering the fact that many mothers have to work to add to the family coffers.

The stay-at-home-mother has in many cases been replaced by the stay-at-home Father, and many divorced Fathers raise their children on their own, often with the help of babysitters and nannies, as do working women.

A Father who takes responsibility for his offspring is a wonderful thing

A Father who takes responsibility for his offspring is a wonderful thing. In fact, men who don’t recognize and take responsibility for their children can’t be considered true Fathers. Men can have a multiplicity of children by nature, but a true Father bonds with and loves his child.

Fathers often get short shrift when the kudos are handed out. The pressure on a family man is great, and there is usually no special training given for Fatherhood.

A Royal Navy Officer hugs his daughter after long deployment on HMS Chiddingfold

Being a Father often changes a man in a subtle way. He no longer thinks only of himself, but of another life which is dependent upon him.

Every achievement of his offspring becomes his achievement and his Pride blossoms. Father-Daughter dances, Tuxedoes for a Prom, Graduation Ceremonies, Weddings, and Bachelor Send-offs. The whole gamut of the cycle of life.

Whether a child is a boy or a girl, a Father is so very essential.

For those who have never known their Father, or whose Father has passed away, Father’s Day remembrances are bittersweet. But Fathers deserve credit where credit is due.