Great Responsibilities of a Father

Given today’s occasion- Father’s Day , I would like to impart with you some things that I have learned earlier today regarding the 3 Great Responsibilities of a Father.

A Father helps develop the Identity of his children.

“A Father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he is meant to be.”– Frank A. Clark

It is important to remember that an individual’s Self-Worth is connected to their Identity. That is why it is a very crucial role of a father to help their children develop a positive identity. People with low self-worth are usually insecure and they like to impress others by buying expensive stuffs for themselves . They tie up their identity to material things, or fame or power so that when they lose these things, they get depressed up to the extent of committing suicide

So help your children develop a positive identity by investing time in getting to know them. Know what inspires them. Know their fears. Do not compare them. Your children need to feel secured in their relationship with you. Let them know know who you like them to believe they are. Their behavior will conform to who they are (self-fulfilling prophecy).

2. A Father provides Inspiration to his children.

“Words can inspire and words can destroy. Choose yours well.”- Robin Sharma

Children look up to their fathers. It is a big deal for them to get his affirmation. So a father should uplift and encourage his children, not put them down. He must provide an environment at home that would enrich his children’s potential.

If your son makes a painting of the Madonna and Child, and he proudly shows it to you, tell him it looks great even if it looks like a monster! Tendency is, he will keep on painting until he masters the art. Your children will believe in themselves if they know you believe in them.

We are not perfect, sometimes we do things that may hurt them. The good thing is that wound heals, provided you ask forgiveness.

I challenge the fathers this Father’s day to ask their children these 2 questions:

What have I done that may have hurt you? Apologize.
What can I do to be a better dad to you?

3. A Father shapes the values of his children.

“Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Our values influence our decision-making. This is why children need to be taught the proper values that we want them to be equipped with in life such as the love, honesty, integrity, service, etc… As a father, you must discuss with your children the values that you like to teach your family. You can even create family traditions that would help reinforce these values. It is also important to walk the talk and model good example to your children.

A father will leave a legacy to his children. Whether it is good or bad depends solely on him.

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers! 🙂

(photo source)

Date Written: June 19, 2016