Fathers

Fathers are so important to the family unit for several reasons. Being married and working together as husband and wife strengthens each other and the whole family. Sadly, today we don’t see that in every family. Due to some circumstances, many families don’t have their father living with them because of divorce, death or because he wasn’t committed to the relationship in the first place. My heart goes out to those mothers and family members and continuing life without them. It’s truly incredible how much of a difference it makes to be committed and married to your spouse and grow a live with them. I want to share 5 things that I learned from an article about the influence of fathers.

I read an article called “Fatherhood in Child Welfare” and it said, (1) “There is something about the legal and social commitments of marriage that strengthens the positive impacts of fathering—it may simply be that being married strengthens the commitment of a father to his family.” It’s true that when we are fully committed to a relationship that we tend to work harder, and take pride in what is ours.

This article also talked about (2) when fathers are responsible for the basics care of their kids, such as changing diapers and feeding them, from a very young age that the children are less likely to be abused by the father. This principle goes for all of us, when we serve others we grow in love for them and see them as children of God.

(3) When a father is involved with his family there are lower levels of neglect. Even if the family is going through a rough spot financial, the mother and father can split the loads of taking care of children and the housework. By helping with the housework, the parents are both happier and they are more invested in the taking care of the family.

(4) When fathers and mothers work together as a team, it reduces the stress on both of them. By having a strong marriage, the children will be able to thrive off of that and feel comfortable and safe at home.

(5) A biological father that is in the home, compared to a boyfriend, having several men involved, or a cohabitating father, brings stability to the home and the children. When a husband and wife can decide how to discipline the children and how they want to parent the children, there a less chances of arguments between the couple and the children will learn the correct standards of living and not be confused about what is expected of them.
 http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/helpkids/telefiles/082808tele/IV-C%20Fatherhood%20Curriculum%204.pdf

As I read this article and I thought about my father and my upbringing. I was very blessed to have grown up with a loving father. He taught us the gospel and was involved in our lives. He was definitely busy with work, but he always made time to talk with us around the dinner table and had an open-door policy where could come and talk with him anytime about anything. I am very grateful for my dad and his willingness to talk with me about anything and answer my questions.

I’ve almost been married about a year now, and we still don’t have any children yet. But I want to make sure that my husband and my children understand the importance of fathers, and what major role they play in this life, and especially in our family. To ensure that happens, my husband and I need to be on the same page. I know that I need him, and he needs me. We have already started a pattern of attending the Temple weekly and going on dates to strengthen our relationship with each other.

One way that I want to make sure that my children and husband know how important my husband is to our family is by treating him as such. I know that when the first baby is born, usually the husband feels distant from his wife and child because the wife usually takes over and corrects her husband about how to care for the baby. I want to show by my actions that I care about what my husband thinks and let him do things his own way. I always want to never talk badly about him to others or to the children.


Fathers are important for several reasons. God knew that we needed fathers in the home to bring stability and love to families.  

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