Fathers, pillars of the family

Every year, the third Sunday of June is observed as Father’s Day — a day set aside to celebrate and honour fathers and fatherhood.

Yesterday[June 19, 2022], Ghana joined the rest of the world to commemorate the day and use it as an opportunity to honour the men who help shape the characters of their families through love, guidance and devotion.

The day is in recognition of dads and father figures across the world who sacrifice to support their families and ensure that their children lead fulfilling lives.

First celebrated on June 19, 1910 in the state of Washington, USA, through the struggle of Sonora Smart Dodd, who campaigned to get the day instituted in honour of her father, the day has since been commemorated globally as an important occasion to acknowledge fatherhood.

The day is observed on different days globally; however, it is generally accepted to be on the third Sunday of June.

The significance and importance of the day is highlighted as the US celebrates it as a permanent public holiday exactly 50 years ago declared by President Richard Nixon.

Even though we do not need to wait for a specific day to honour our fathers and father figures, setting aside a single day globally to acknowledge them has some spiritual dimension, as the world joins hands in honouring the backbone, spiritual and physical protector of our families.

In celebrating this day, the focus is not to revere only our biological fathers but also those we consider worthy to be our fathers.

It is a fact that there are men and men figures in our lives who we consider our fathers or who are precious in our lives as fathers or guardians.

Some men may not have biological children, but their contribution to the upbringing of children in their communities and society is worth recognising.

The Daily Graphic says ‘ayekoo’ to all fathers for their untiring effort at building formidable families, providing guidance and protection and leading the way, many a time at a peril to their lives.

In most families, fathers are relied on to provide solutions for anything that goes wrong, be it mechanical, carpentry, plumbing, masonry or electrical.

It is the responsibility of the father to feed, clothe, care for and protect the entire family.

A father's role in the family is pivotal — he is called upon to be a leader and protector and be an example of Christ's love by loving the children and their mother.

He is also expected to be strong in the faith to bring the children up knowing right from wrong.

It is not for nothing that every child considers his or her father as the strongest and provider of everything, even though in some families fathers are the most feared.

We do also acknowledge that some fathers are not playing their expected roles as heads of their families, and that alone is a blot on manhood.

As we celebrate fathers, we call on all fathers to take a break, undertake a sober reflection to find out where things may not be going right and correct them. After all, we are all human and can make mistakes.

The Holy Bible reminds fathers of the need to spend quality time with their children. In Deut. 6: 6-9, the Scripture makes it clear that fathers must engage their children in the kind of deep, heart-to-heart conversations that impart more than facts but teach wisdom.

Even though fathers struggle daily to raise funds for the family, we expect them to make time to play this important role.

The important role of fathers in the family means that they are supposed to be role models for their children.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 teaches us that who we are and how we live is like a letter from God. Our children read that letter every day.

As we salute our fathers, we encourage them to even do more to sustain their respective families. It is only when there is peace in the family that will there be peace in the world.

Belated Happy Father's Day to all fathers and father figures.