Fathers

 This week I have been thinking a lot about fathers and their role in families and raising children. Fathers have many roles in a family and is very important. Today, I am going to talk about some common roles a father takes in a family and in parenting. I'll also talk about some reasons that having a father figure in the house can be beneficial, and some drawbacks to having a household without a father in it.

There are a number of roles that a father can and does take in a family, but today we will be talking about a few major ones. A father is often thought of as the man of the house. This is a phrase that is used less and less these days and is thought about as meaning that the father is in charge of the house. I personally feel that this is not the actual meaning of the phrase, so I have dug more into the meaning of the phrase. Some things I took out of this search is that a father is to protect the self-esteem and the self-worth of those in the house such as his wife and each of his kids. He is supposed to help maintain family values and standards, values, and standards that have been set by him and his wife. You have responsibilities –alongside your wife–to help the family thrive. This definition goes along with the other responsibilities given to fathers. One such responsibility that is often given to men is to provide for their families. From going to work to help provide financing to helping (along with their mother) provide a stable home life, fathers are fantastic providers. The last common role a father has been a protector. Fathers are there to protect their families in all situations, from a spider on the ceiling, from a robber, and from their daughters' date.

There are many reasons why it is beneficial to have a father in the household. Fatherhood.org has some fathering absence statistics that can and do tell us a little bit about how having a father is beneficial to families, especially the kids. Some benefits of having a good, strong, involved father are having a lower risk of infant mortality and having higher birth weights. The child, or children having less emotional and behavioral problems, the children being at lower risk for neglect or abuse, have a lower risk of injury. The children will also have a lower risk of obesity, have better school performance, be less likely to have a teen pregnancy, less likely to go to juvenile detention. They are at lower risk for alcohol and substance abuse, have less criminal activity, and are at lower risk for suicide. These benefits are amazing! These issues, such as suicide, going to prison as a juvenile, and teen pregnancy can all impact you and follow you for the rest of your life or end all future opportunities in the case of suicide. Obesity and emotional issues can be overcome but do leave lasting scars on your health, whether physical or mental. These risks and challenges can be lessened by simply having an active and loving father in the home!

Just as having a father can lessen these risks, not having a father increases the risk for the previously mentioned problems. These are statistically proven facts. Knowing this, how can anyone say that it is okay to not have a father, or that fathers or fatherhood is unnecessary. It is definitely necessary! While at time or in situations there may be circumstances that make it, so you cannot or will not be able to have an active involved father in the home, this should be a rarity not a common place situation. More and more fathers are pushed to the side or children are pushed to the side. This is the future we are talking about! These are the people who will help you when you get old, or will choose not to if the circumstances are right. Fathers are people who can help or hurt the future generation forever. It is important to stress the importance of fathers and fatherhood and not let us get lax. Fathers matter, and we need to help people understand that more.