This weekend lots of kids and dads alike will act like a bunch of big and small kids in celebration of Father's Day. Kids will spoil their dads with gifts of silly gadgets or something fun—or maybe a fancy shirt Dad will never wear (at least, not here in San Diego). And dads will revel in the opportunity to become a kid again—at least for a day—while all the family caters to their every childish whim!
Some will spend Father’s Day Sunday on the beach celebrating around picnics, cook outs and waves. Others will visit the San Diego Zoo or other such fine attractions.
But for many, Father’s Day is just another bitter reminder that they either have no father or that their father is simply never around and doesn’t seem to care. And that is tragic. Prisons are full of people who lacked a father.
One of the greatest causes for delinquency is rooted in the absence of true fatherly love.
No wonder the Bible tells fathers not to provoke their children to anger:
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).A closer look at this verse in its original language reveals that fathers are to take time to listen to their children in sensitivity to their needs. A lack of listening (and hearing the heart of the child) equals provoking and brings a child one step closer to becoming broken and dysfunctional.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Fathers and non-fathers alike can have the greatest influence on today’s children and thereby influence society.
There are countless opportunities to become a role model – a big brother or father figure – to a child or youth that is in need. The Big Brothers and Sisters of San Diego County, for example, are always seeking godly volunteers. San Diego Youth Services is another place where men (and women) can plug in and mentor youth. It just takes a little bit of heart. The Father's heart.
For a related article on Mother's Day, click here.
Janey L. DeMeo M.A.
Copyright©June 2010
www.JaneyDeMeo.com www.orphansfirst.org Janey's Blog Follow Janey on Twitter
Comments
To be a father is, certainly, first an honor and a privilege. It is a gift that the Father above bestows on man. A fatherly heart is a reflection of the Father's heart. Therefore, children are so blessed when they reflect on what their father mean to them, on Father's day. But, true, as you pointed out, when fathers neglect to relate to their kids as fathers, there is so much of family and social chaos. And, then, it's a great step to be reminded that there are thousands of those out there who wish to have an extension of that love.
thanks for this article. my parents divorced when i was 3 back in the mid sixties. back then i was the only child in my entire neighborhood/school who had divorced parents. this was very painful. even more painful was that when my father remarried he stopped taking us on those fun ski trips and vacations and his wife successfully alienated us all from him. after she died a few years ago we got our father back and we are all enjoying him and getting to know him. we are all very thankful for this time that we have been given with him as he is now 84...after all these years of pain and heartache. thank God.
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