A Father's Role in the Home

“Father is the noblest title a man can be given. It is more than a biological role. It signifies a leader, exemplar, a confidant, a teacher, a hero, and, ultimately, a perfect being.” –Elder Robert L. Backman

            The society we live in today is taking the role of the father and twisting it to defile its importance. When you think of popular T.V. shows with family characters, the father is usually out of the home for almost all of the day working, and when he comes home he’s portrayed as lazy. Think of Bart Simpson for an example. He is dumb and silly and doesn’t know how to do anything except for provide for his family. However, in the real world, there is much more to fatherhood than bringing home money for the family.

            Fathers are necessary to provide, preside, and protect. This means that they provide not only materialistically, but also spiritually as well. They preside every day by holding family counsel and family prayer/scripture study. They are to protect their home from outside dangers, such as pornography, physical danger, and any kind of abuse. Fathers help children to regulate their emotions, support their wives, and to simply be an earthly example of how Heavenly Father treats us. Now I know that not every family has a father figure in the home. However, your future family does not have to be that way. My dad was only 16 months old when his mother and father got a divorce and his dad wasn’t very involved in his life until he was about 15 years old. His father passed away later on when my dad was about 30 years old. Growing up with only a grandfather as a father figure, my dad found it challenging to learn essentially how to be a man. His grandfather did teach him to have a hard work ethic, but he was retired and older, so in some aspects it was harder for him to teach my dad the day-to-day things. He struggled with learning about economics and how they work, because he never really saw the example of a father. However, my dad was able to learn from the other family members around him and he taught himself through trial an error, and now is better able to teach me as his child. Although my dad did have a loving family experience, we can learn from him and I’m sure many other families you may know, that things simply run smoother when there are both parents presents in the home.

            Throughout my life I have been so very blessed to have a father who has been actively present in my life. I feel like because of that, I have learned so many things that will help me as a parent. There have been several studies done that show that father-daughter relationships are extremely important. Now this is just on average, but these studies show that daughters who grow up fatherless struggle more with romantic relationships, finances, and self confidence. A father’s example sets the tone for every future relationship a daughter will have. A father-son relationship is also key in teaching a young boy how to become a man. The father’s example teaches the son how to work hard, how to connect with his emotions, and how to treat women with respect and love.

            I am aware that many people have a complicated relationship with their fathers, but I would just like to end with the reminder that even if you don’t have the ideal situation of having a loving earthly father, that you do have a loving Father in Heaven who provides, presides, and protects you. Just because you may have grown up without a father does not mean you will be a bad father (or have messy relationships if you are a woman.) Heavenly Father gives us families to test us and to help us grow as a unit. I challenge you to think of your father or father figure and thank him for what he has done for you and to implement the things you’ve learned from him into your own parenting.

            

            Hope you all have an amazing week!