Fathers play such an important role in a family’s life. Everyone knows that, and every one pretty much says it. But if that is true, then why are the role of being a father is being degraded as the years go on? In kids shows the father plays the “dumb dad”. He is always messing up, and always seems to be depicted unto like a child. That is pretty much what kids grow up with. Learning that fathers are supposed to be “dumb” you could say, that if you want help, they wont know how to help you. Now I am not taking anything away from mothers, but I do believe fatherhood is something that is overlooked.

            Being a father is more than just being a provider too. His role as a leader and a nurturer is equally as important. An interesting thing that I heard is that mothers have a motherly instinct, but that instinct isn’t attached directly to being a nurturer. That both the mom and the father have a nurture gene. Even from birth, children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections. When a father realizes his importance and understands what he means to the family, it allows him to teach, and the willingness to be involved in his children’s lives grows. So I guess the question is, “how do you get a father to recognize his value in a family?”

            It partly comes from the spouse. When the spouse recognizes the value that their husband has, the spouse is cherishing him. They have a genuine appreciation that their husband is in their lives, and is a father to their children. When you lose sight of that value, then you stop cherishing, and then you are more likely to react in dishonoring ways. This creates boundaries, and boundaries will skew the value you see in your husband. This can lead to less trust in being a father, and less of a willing heart to communicate.

            I wish I could go on and on about the importance of being a father but I would like to end with a father’s super power. I believe every father shows this power, and has it. Some know it to often. I do not mean this in the sense of “controlling power over all in the family”, but the power that a father has is the opposite of such. It’s the power of sacrifice. As a father I feel that sacrifice is one of our superpowers. A father has the ability to look at a situation, look past his own needs, and do what he knows is right. They sacrifice their time for their family. This is a tad bit revised with my own words but “Greater love hath no man than this, that a father lay down his life for his family”. It means we are the type of father that would sit and spend time our children, rather than watching a football game, and ignoring them. They also sacrifice their time to work to provide for his family. Love is sacrifice, and love/sacrifice is fatherhood.