Happy Father’s Day!
“Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” —Anne Geddes
Father’s Day is right around the corner and as we have read from our Mother’s Day blog, we know the importance of appreciating all that our parents do. Whether you are a father, have a father, or have a father figure in your life; take this holiday as a chance to show them how much you appreciate them. It is important to show our appreciation to our parents because we do not realize the impact they have on us as we grow up. Young or old, your parents played a huge role in how you grew up and who you developed into.
Having a father not only provides you with love, support, and protection but also helps a child develop emotionally and socially. Young boys grow up constantly wanting to make their fathers proud, to show him that they can succeed and provide for themselves and their families in the future. While for young girls, dad is the first male experience that they receive. If a father is absent in their lives, it might teach a young girl that males will not always be around in her life. Having a father present in a child’s life is essential for proper neurological development. A present father will help a child develop socially, develop confidence, help promote internal growth, and more. Fathers do far more than just show us love and support, they truly help us grow and develop into who we are meant to be.
There are many types of fathers. There are the interactive fathers, the non-interactive fathers, the providing ones, the protective ones, and tons more. Every father falls into a category; however, what makes a “good” father? This question can have a multitude of different answers depending on who you ask, but below is a shortlist of qualities that every good father should possess.
Qualities of a good father:
- Accepting: it is important for a father to be accepting. What dads must understand is that their daughter or son is not going to be identical to him. He or she may not have the same hobbies and interests as him. Dad must then be able to accept that his child is an individual and do nothing but support them on their decisions. Acceptance is key in any relationship.
- Discipline: this is a hard one to grapple for some parents as we all want to be the “cool” mom or dad. However, discipline is cool. Discipline is meant to teach children what is right and what is wrong. Also, discipline is there to discourage behavior that is unacceptable. Without discipline, a child will never truly know what is acceptable behavior and unacceptable behavior. This is why it is important to have parents who know how to enforce discipline in an educational way.
- Leads by example: a good dad is one that leads his children in a positive direction. He, however, does not use the statement “do as I say, not as I do”. A father should not do something that he does not want his child to do, not only is that hypocritical but also misleading to children. Children are often referred to as sponges, they absorb the language that surrounds them and the actions that surround them. So a father that leads by example is a perfect way to avoid a child growing into confusion on what is “good” or not.
- Supportive: a father should always be supportive. They should constantly have their child’s back and praise them when it is deserved. Children want nothing more than to be accepted as who they are, so a great father should always do just that.
- Protective: a father is typically looked at as the main provider of security and protection for a family. A father must make his partner and children feel safe at home. Father’s typically would put their life in danger in order to protect the ones he loves. A family should always feel safe with dad.
- Loving: most importantly, a father should love his family unconditionally. Always there to support, educate, protect, lead, play, and love. A father is someone who does not allow his children’s faults or actions to overcome his emotions, he simply loves them without cost.
Anne Geddes said, “Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” There is a difference between being a father and being a dad. A father is a biological connection to a child, while being dad is a physical and emotional connection to a child. A man can be a father, but not a dad, much like a man can be a father and a dad. This title all depends on the relationship that is provided between him and the child. We understand that being a dad is not easy; it takes a lot of patience, love, and protectiveness. However, dads deserve a lot more recognition than they receive because it is their involvement that shapes the development of their kin. So this Father’s Day, we thank all the dads out there for doing all that you do and even the stuff that you aren’t aware you do. Happy Father’s Day!
