Fatherhood and its Importance

Hello everyone! 

We're talking about fathers and their influence and importance this week!

Fathers are so important and influence their children more than they know. Fathers tend to get a bad rap or women tend to think they can parent alone, but the truth is, both fathers and mothers bring really important things to the table. Below are the five things I feel that are important that fathers contribute to the family. 

Fathers help children to grow and develop to their best abilities. Studies have actually shown that having a involved father both during pregnancy and after the child is born helps them to develop properly. An involved father leads to less maternal pregnancy health challenges. When fathers are involved in their children’s lives, the children have higher academic achievement, and are better prepared when they do eventually go to school. They also tend to have higher self-esteem and fewer behavioral problems as well. Studies have shown that the children’s wellbeing takes a high first when they don’t have a father who is readily involved in their lives. Girls especially experience psychological and physical problems when they don’t have an involved father. This leads these children to grow up and be involved parents themselves. 

Fathers also have a leadership role in the father and should be the head of their family with their wives as the companion and equal. When the father takes on the role as a leader in the family, children are more respectful of their parents and their rules and that helps build more harmonious relationships in the family. Together, husbands and wives, when they are united in word, deed, and in action, can lead and guide and do what is best for the family. 

Fathers are teachers and children can learn a lot from hearing from and watching them. Children especially learn by example, so having a father figure that is reliable and involved in their lives will help them learn and grow into who our Heavenly Father wants them to be. Fathers have a good opportunity to teach children and to help them grow through family home evening lessons, and also through having them help with yardwork, or fixing something around the house. Children love to be involved and fathers have a good opportunity to teach them through spending time with them. 

Fathers are to be presiders and providers for the family. When the fathers preside over their family and give the mothers the opportunity to stay home with the children, they give the children the best environment to thrive. In my reading this week, I learned that families often can thrive off of one income better than if the mother went to work to try and provide financially for the family. Between childcare and costs of food and transportation, it is worth it for the family to try and thrive off one income, and it is best if the father can preside and provide for their family. 

Fathers also can be great motivators in the family. They motivate children to work hard, to learn, to grow, and to be their best. When they fulfill that role well, children feel supported, and they are able to truly succeed and learn and grow. 

While every experience in my family hasn’t been positive, when I think of the influence of my dad in my life, I am so thankful that he has always been a constant and a positive influence in my life. One thing I am so thankful that my dad taught and showed me was a good work ethic. I learned to work hard and to never back down from challenging experiences. In the experiences where I have been pushed and stretched and challenged, I have learned and grown the most. I am so grateful to have been taught to work hard because it has helped me in so many experiences I have gone through, and I know it will help me in anything I will go through. 

My dad also taught me how to be reliable, consistent, and dependable. That has been so valuable to me as I have started working and working with other people. It is frustrating when you can’t rely on people, and I am so grateful that I was taught to be someone who people can rely on. I am especially grateful for my dad and his consistency and dependability in my life, and I want to be like him in that aspect of my life. 

Fathers are so important, and their influence is long-lasting and so important. I hope we value good fathers and their influence a lot more! 

Thank you for reading this week and I hope you learned something new!

Love, Annie

Some readings from this week:

https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resource/involved-fathers-play-an-important-role-in-childrens-lives/

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2004/04/fatherhood-an-eternal-calling?lang=eng&adobe_mc_ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofjesuschrist.org%2Fstudy%2Fgeneral-conference%2F2004%2F04%2Ffatherhood-an-eternal-calling%3Flang%3Deng&adobe_mc_sdid=SDID%3D032916D47FB0DDFE-43903DEB56338883%7CMCORGID%3D66C5485451E56AAE0A490D45%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1647666600

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1977/06/fatherhood?lang=eng&adobe_mc_ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.churchofjesuschrist.org%2Fstudy%2Fensign%2F1977%2F06%2Ffatherhood%3Flang%3Deng&adobe_mc_sdid=SDID%3D53258F51814C6F58-235972A5B5BA9C1D%7CMCORGID%3D66C5485451E56AAE0A490D45%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1647666905