Sunday, June 15, 2008 Random thoughts on Fatherhood By Henry L. Yu, M.D.
- HUMAN as they are, fathers do have their imperfections and shortcomings. So they, too, need to be reminded of some things that they may have taken for granted or have forgotten along the way.
- Fathers are to be the all-around persona in the lives of their children; not just a working father but also a teacher, adviser, disciplinarian; and best of all, their best friend.
- Fathers should realize that with the passage of time, their children do grow up and they ought to adjust to situations and adapt to their children’s generation.
- Fathers should be more understanding and considerate toward their children as they have been kids themselves once upon a time. They should not expect the children to fully understand their ways because in the first place these children have never been fathers themselves as yet.
- Fathers should not underestimate their children just because they are just their kids. They should realize that the kids also have their own ways of thinking, preferences, mood swings, likes and dislikes.
- Fathers should not forget the fact that the earth revolves around the sun, that time changes and so do happenings and things that surround them. They should not compare their kids’ ways to their old and relatively conservative upbringing.
- Fathers should make it their responsibility to guide and mold their children to be good Christians. They should make this as their mission in life, bestowed upon them by God in the name of fatherhood.
- Fathers, even if they are the most successful professionals in the world or the richest among their peers, are still nothing if and when their children go astray and everything else falls apart into one shattered dream. Nothing could be more hurting than to see their children suffer.
- Fatherhood is never an easy task. It entails a litany of challenges. When the children misbehave and grow up as problematic citizens of the country, people would always put the blame on fathers, say “there are no delinquent children, only delinquent parents.” People oftentimes blame fathers for being either too strict or too lenient. Either way, it’s a loss-loss situation for dear, old fathers.
- Fathers should make his family the priority. In the final analysis, family life comes first. As Corinthians 13:13 would put it: “These three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love. And the greatest of these is Love.”
- A father’s love is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It is a love for all seasons — in fact, more than forever.
