|
Father's
Day Bonus Column
Fatherhood
By
Armstrong Williams
June
10, 2008
As
we continue to show honor and gratitude to
the man in our lives that was responsible
for bringing us into being, we must remind
this country that fatherhood continues to
have a lifetime impact in our lives, and
should be revered and approached with a
sincere passion. I could go into the
general belief that in order for a child to
strive, it must have both parents living in
the home, but that's not what this column is
about. It's about Father's Day, and
the reality of the situation is that many
families are not traditional in terms of
what we know.
America
has now awakened to the fact that some
younger fathers are insignificant in their
children's lives. There could be many
reasons for this, be it by design or by
force. But the truth is that we need
more fathers actively involved in the lives
of their children. It is true that a
lot of younger fathers are complacent with
just giving financial support, but I am here
to tell you that this is not enough.
Yes, you are supposed to provide monetary
needs for your children, but I am certain
that all kids would rather spend quality
time with their fathers. In your kids'
eyes, your worth is not measured by
pecuniary needs, but by the love and
attention that is given.
For
the fathers that are in their kids' lives, I
encourage you. Please make sure to
respect your kids. I am not referring
to the respect that adults deserve, but I am
saying that we should watch our attitudes
around them, and try to be pleasant. A child
can read emotions, and they know when things
aren't going well. The problems of
adults should never be the worries of a
child.
While
we should love our children unconditionally,
we should also learn to reprimand them
whenever it is necessary. I am not
talking about disciplining them to the point
that they are afraid to come to us when
there is a problem, but reminding them
whenever they make a mistake so that they
will know what the outcome of the particular
action will be the next time it happens;
possibly deterring the behavior.
At
the same time, we as fathers should praise
our children whenever they accomplish a
noteworthy feat. We should also keep
the line of communication open with
them. If our children are not able to
come to us as fathers when there is a
problem, they will definitely go to someone
that they feel confident in, and this person
might not be uplifting. Children will
talk, but when that line of communication is
closed, it is very hard to win that trust
over again.
One
desired quality that a father should possess
is the ability to instill traits in their
children that will eventually make them a
productive and successful adult. Take
an interest in anything positive that your
children are doing. This will give
them the desire to do their best at
it. Don't be afraid to ask your
children about their future
aspirations. This is a way of getting
them to think about the many good
possibilities that the world has to
offer. Also, continue to feed their
intellect by strongly encouraging college or
a vocational degree.
Remember
that you don't have to necessarily be a
child's father in order to be a father
figure. Opportunities are sometimes
presented to us that are unavoidable, and we
as fathers must be able to see these
opportunities and act upon them in a
promising way. For example, there
might be a young child in your neighborhood
that needs guidance. Or you might devote
some time on your weekend at the local Boys
and Girls Club. There are many avenues
that we fathers can take in order to make
our society a better place.
I
say all of these things because I know that
they are very important attributes in being
a father. My father possessed all of
these traits, and it played a major role in
defining who I am today. As I reflect
back on his characteristics, I realized that
more children need the same type of moral
support in their lives. We live in a
world that is full of corruption and
dishonesty; a world that can very well
engulf a child and spawn them out to be full
of hate, anger, and pain. I am not
saying that fathers have to be
perfect. I'm just asking that you give
it your honest effort. Believe me;
your kids and the world will appreciate it.
Many people in this global community will
never meet the parents of these
children. But when they meet the
children, the parents are reflected back
through them.
Please
tune in to XM Radio Satellite Power 169
Monday through Friday from 9:00 p.m. to
10:00 p.m. and again at 5:00 a.m. to listen
to Armstrong Williams.
www.armstrongwilliams.com
|
