The father is a very important figure in the family; he is saddled with many responsibilities. Being a father goes far beyond being able to birth a new human life. Rather, it entails understanding the influence you wield in the upbringing of your child, the responsibilities you owe humanity to make his family into an environment where his child develops into a positive addition to the society and him understanding that he is an important guardian and prominent authority figure in the eyes of his child.
Research has been brought to light that some children who grow up with an absent father end up being psychologically and emotionally affected. This is not to say that the mothers don’t put in a lot of effort. It just shows that bringing up children requires a lot, and as it is said, two heads are better than one. As a father, your presence, involvement, activeness, and accessibility are important to your children’s development. Producing good individuals out of your children is not an easy walk, and there is a lot to do, which requires hard work and courage. Let’s discuss some of your immediate duties and responsibilities to your family.
Roles and duties of a father in the family
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
There are a lot of responsibilities that the father has to carry out. In this article, we shall be discussing a few.
Provides for the family:
Some fathers focus on their careers after having a child, thereby passing all the responsibility of raising the child to the mother under the guise that they want to work hard to be the home’s breadwinner. This is quite common to see, and it should not be. Even if the mother or anyone else in the family also gives financial or material support, it will be taken that they are just assisting the father and doing it on his behalf if, for certain reasons, he is incapable of carrying out this responsibility.
It is your duty as a father to show your love for your family by making sure that you have all your family’s needs met. This is important. Even sociocultural history puts out the discovery that it has always been the duty of the fathers to provide the basic needs of life, which are food, clothing, and shelter for their families.
Protect the family:
As a father, it is your sole duty to see that you protect your family from any form of threat however best you can. This doesn’t only apply to physical safety, but it also borders on how you make decisions in the family’s interest and how you decide on the kind of neighborhood to raise your family. You are always a shield and defense for your family from any danger.
Lead the family:
You are the first person responsible for the reputation of the family. You are the one to model good virtues, morals, and interrelationship values to your children. As a father, you are the leader of your household.
An effective leader functions from three domains of leadership; the ability to lead self, others (wife and children individually), and the family as a unit. Self-leadership involves a deep knowledge of self, a set of morally high values that define who you are, self-control, and a commitment to the cause of the family. To a great extent, your self-leadership determines your success in the other aspects of leadership. The best way you lead is by consistent examples and integrity.
Be a teacher:
The importance and necessity of a father to get it right on this subject cannot be overemphasized. The best way to do this is by daily examples. Children copy and learn a lot from their parents and sometimes do it subconsciously. How you live daily is one way, another way is by always making time to talk to them. As a father, when you take it upon yourself to feed your child’s thoughts with the bedrock of truths you want him thinking about, you can be sure that you’ve laid a foundation to steer your child towards the right things even later in their life. Apart from imparting knowledge, you should do your best to explain the reason for certain things to them. The more you do this, the more they’ll be reasonable and practically mature in their thinking.
Be a motivator:
Children depend on their parents as their primary support system in almost all homes. Parents must help build the confidence and self-esteem of a child by always encouraging them and motivating them to do the right things. Children always want to earn the acceptance of their father, so while you set expectations, remember always to let them know you are proud of them and that you love them unconditionally.
Instill discipline:
As a father and the head of the home, you should always enforce discipline, and one of the best ways you do this is by example. Also, do not use physical violence, demeaning or harsh words, yelling, or neglect. Rather, explain to them why they should not engage in very behaviors. They will soon come to see and accept maturity and wisdom in your words.
Biblical perspective of the role of the father
Leads them in the way of the Lord:
Scripturally, the most foundational principle that a father should lay in his family is to lead every member in fear of God. Majorly by example, teach them to love God and reverence his ways. As a father, you should teach your children obedience to God, especially through practice.
As a Christian father, you should mirror the attributes of God, who is a loving Father to all his children, to your children. Let them see you serving God. Lead the family in prayer and bible study. Be an example of a forgiving, compassionate, and loving Father. Fathers are caretakers in whose care God has put His children. It is your duty and obligation to teach your children the right way they should go so that they will not depart from it when they grow up.
Importance of father-child relationship.
- A good father-child relationship should enhance trust and help promote the child’s self-esteem and confidence.
- A good father-child relationship would keep the child reassured of the father’s commitment to their needs, not just financial but emotional, spiritual needs.
- Having a good father-child relationship would go a long way to brace up the child for real-life experiences with a positive attitude and good faith rather than being overwhelmed by challenges that come in their everyday life.
- Knowing that children are the leaders of tomorrow, a good father-child relationship would help build a foundation for them to be good fathers or mothers in the future as charity begins at home.
Conclusion.
Being a father is not an easy task, and it requires patience and diligence in building, investing, and ensuring that a child is thoroughly furnished. Everything a father does should be out of love. In shepherding your family, rely on God to lead you.
