Why We Need Fathers

The role of fathers is very undermined today. The feminist movement in the early 1900’s was great because it allowed women more opportunities, but I believe we have now forgetten how important men are in our lives. Today, women are given the right to vote and work, and we often admire the power women have. While this is definitely an improvement from a century ago, there are some who neglect or entirely forget about men’s rights and roles in the process of being advocates for women. It is generally more acceptable to criticize and make fun of men than it is to criticize and make fun of women. I once saw a sign on a store window that said something along the lines of, “No pets allowed except for husbands.” Is that what men have turned into? Pets? I think that we all need to strive harder to appreciate and recognize the important role that men and especially fathers have in our lives.

One role that fathers have is helping their children develop emotionally. On pediatricsoffranklin.com, it says that “Children want to make their fathers proud, and an involved father promotes inner growth and strength.” I have experienced this with my father growing up. I always yearned for his approval and smile when I accomplished something well. He would give me advice on how to succeed, and I would strive to follow that advice diligently. I remember him telling me good job when I got straight A’s on my report card, and it helped me feel good about my hard work.

Another point that pediatricsoffranklin.com makes is that “fathers set the bar for relationships with others”. I think it is important to note that all other relationships won’t necessarily be like the relationship they had with their father, but they will determine partially how the son or daughter treats other people. My father is a very kind person, and I have never heard him call me a crude name or purposefully try to hurt or belittle me. He also loves to give meaningful gifts and spend time with those he loves, which is what he did for me. Likewise, I would never consciously call someone offensive names, I love giving my time to show my love to others, and putting together the perfect gift to show I care about someone is so much fun for me.

Boys are in desperate need for good fathers. Because they are the same gender, boys naturally look to their fathers to know what it takes to be a man, including what qualities and characteristics they see their father portray. If their father shows respect to others and is responsible, then the son is more likely to grow up with those same attributes.

Likewise, girls also need fathers whom they can look up to and rely on. Pediatricsoffranklin.com says, “Young girls depend on their fathers for security and emotional support. A father shows his daughter what a good relationship with a man is like.”  When I was a child, I naively thought that I was going to marry my dad. As I got older, that thought changed to a desire to marry someone who had the same qualities as my dad. I wanted him to be talented, funny, kind, an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, smart, responsible, and a hard worker. And guess what? My husband is all of the above! If it weren’t for my father, I would not have recognized how wonderful my husband was when I met him.

People who are raised by involved and compassionate fathers tend to be better people. On dailywire.com, there is an article that discusses commonalities in school shooters. This commonality was that they had no father figure. It also stated that there is a direct correlation between fatherless children and violence, suicide, and dropping out of school.

I hope that we can all recognize the positive influence men and fathers are in our lives. Let us take care to diminish the teasing, demeaning, and belittling of men just because they seem tough or have had more rights longer than women have. They have feelings too, and they make a bigger difference in our lives than we may realize.