The importance of a father cannot be over emphasized. He is the superhero in a family. Fathers are always ready to take on everyday troubles from every member of the family. Just like a mother, a good father spends quality time with his family. And so, to honour such fathers and to celebrate the paternal bonding, a special day is observed every year as Father’s Day to commemorate their efforts and contributions in the society.

Father’s Day celebration dates back to the time of middle ages. The day was celebrated as the feast day of Saint Joseph, “the putative father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Fathers’ Day is a day which celebrates fatherhood, paternal bonds and the efforts of male parents towards their family and the wider society.

No doubt, Fathers’ Day is an occasion to honour all the fatherly figures like stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles or even big brothers. Fathers are so important that Glory Naylor remarked: “Old as she was, she still missed her Daddy sometimes”. George Herbert also said that “one father is more than a hundred school masters”, while Liam Nelson said that “it is an ongoing joy being a Dad”. All these go to show the importance of a father in the family and entire society.

Fathers have great roles to play in building the nation. Through fathers, children have access to a vast network including, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends of the family, work, colleagues, community organizations, faith communities and even personal histories.

Fathers plan the future of their children which, in turn, affects the moral, physical, psychological, social, political, religious and developmental tone of the nation. For instance, a morally-bound family begets children who are well nurtured to conform to the dictates of the society. Such children, later in life, become the conscience of the nation and living examples to their peer groups. Such a nation can never be morally bankrupt or revel in social vices like armed robbery, rape, kidnapping, fraudulent practices, among others, because its children have been brought up in a decent society devoid of those vices.

Nobody can tell one that a father is in a family. He is the God they see in the house, their legitimate hopes, yearnings and aspirations. He is everything to the family, mostly, the breadwinner, who caters for the needs of the family. One can, therefore, realize his role and enviable position in the family.

Fathers are cherished and celebrated by their children at all times. It is true that, today, most families rely upon the incomes of both Mothers and Fathers. However, the fact remains that fathers still provide the lion’s share of income. Moreover, father’s earnings are uniquely linked to many positive results for children, even when mothers’ earnings are taken into consideration.

Although, Mothers and fathers often bring different strengths and styles to their parenting roles, they also complement each other which are necessary for healthy child upbringing. Fathers play a great role in building the capacity of their children through basic education.

In other words, they play a unique and crucial role in nurturing and guiding the development of their children. So, as the world marks the International Father’s Day today, the society expects that fathers should sustain their commitment to their families.

As pillars in the development of a child’s emotional well-being, fathers should be affectionate and supportive to their children and wives. They should use this occasion of the International Father’s Day to train their children in the fear of God, by setting moral tone and rules for their behavior and survival in the world. HAPPY FATHERS’ DAY!

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