Father Foundation

by Gray Graham

​This year probably more than any year in recent memory we are seeing just how important fathers are to our lives. It is not a new revelation but it is one that causes a lot of people to feel a certain way because of their personal life experiences.

When we think of our fathers we get a certain feeling of love and confidence that gives us the strength to go through many of life’s difficult situations. Our father’s love and feelings carries us through our lives and is the cornerstone of so many aspects of who we are.

Well that is the way some people feel, others feel nothing but pain and anguish. While many people have a loving mother in their lives, for some a father is a missing element that never gets replaced. This missing element is something that affects a lot of things especially a view of self.

I remember many, many years ago, how people felt about children that had lost their fathers. Their families and the community would try their best to shower love and support to the family to help fill the void left by the missing father. Grandfathers and uncles would make sure that they would take on the father role in the children’s lives.

But sometimes fathers are not lost they just go missing or never were there. These situations are probably the worst for their children because it feeds negative feelings of abandonment, neglect, and self-esteem that follow them throughout their lives. It is something many never overcome no matter how hard they try.

We have a lot of children growing up today that have either an absent father or a part-time father. Time spent with their father is rare and fleeting, reserved for weekends, holidays, and summer vacation. The daily routine of life with a father is missing from their lives. They don’t know what it is like to have a father available to support them every time he is needed.

Our society has attempted to fix this problem by negating the need of fathers in a child’s life. We as a society have decided it is not important to have your father in your life. The family foundation of husband and wife; father and mother is a pipe dream or nightmare to many. I don’t think many people give a thought to the complicated life situations they place their children or how it will affect them the rest of their lives. 

Can I say that fathers are important? Can I also say that husbands that are fathers are also important? Can I say that families that are made of fathers and mothers are important? Can I say that these things are not only important but very much needed?

Fathers are the foundation on which families are built. They are the rock that supports the entire family. They are the bond that keeps the family balanced and together. Take away the father and the family becomes unbalanced and far too often crumbles apart.

Fathers provide love, support, and protection for us and we definitely need all those things today. Fathers sacrifice so much so that they can take care of their families. They try to do everything they can for their families while asking for nothing in return. Not even a simple thank you.

Instead of diminishing fathers to make others feel better, let’s support fathers and understand that they help to uplift everyone in their lives. So many fathers not only support their families but they are often the pillars of their communities. Many fathers take on the added responsibility of being a father to the fatherless. 

One thing that has been great to see are the expressions of love from so many sons and daughters for their fathers. Mothers and children that have a great father in their lives embrace that blessing and return it in kind. There is nothing like the love of a father and it is an important piece of a loving, happy family.