FATHERHOOD...

*Blegh*. I know that is not how one starts a captivating post but there are only ten rules in this world etched in stone; they are commonly known as the TEN COMMANDMENTS, and there is none forbidding one to start a post with BLEGH!. Refer to Exodus 20 for a quick refresher course. *Blegh*. :-)

Lets move on swiftly. Sunday, June 19th 2011 is an important day. Its FATHER'S DAY. One of my favorite quotes of all time is "Any man can be a FATHER, but it takes a special person to be a DAD". Often, the two words are used interchangeably. According to Oxford Dictionary, "father is a man in relation its offspring" where as "dad is defined as one's father." Thus it is perfectly in order to use the two terms interchangeably. However to interrogate it further; "relation refers to the way in which two or more people or groups feel about and behave towards each other."

I don't come from a single-parent family. Mr.M has been a father for the last 30 years. When I say he has been a father, I mean he has had a relation - perfect or imperfect - with his offspring's for a minimum of 23 years and a maximum of 30 years. I often wonder what my siblings would say about him given an opportunity; that I would give a lot of money to hear. *Ahem;clear throat*

I have my own understanding of what fatherhood and being a dad is all about; an understanding influenced by watching too many fairy tale movies perfectly blended with the harsh and sudden realities of life...

FATHERHOOD: Comes just as naturally to men as MOTHERHOOD does to women; it just wears a different mask;

A mask of provision, 

A mask of protection, 

A mask of unlimited strength,

A mask of unending wisdom,

FATHERHOOD: is about belief;

Belief in God above all else,

Belief in his wife,

Belief in his offspring,

Lastly, belief in oneself,

FATHERHOOD: Respects;

Respects God,

Respects authority,

Respects family,

Respects peers,

Respects his offsprings,

Respects oneself

FATHERHOOD: Honors;

Honors God, 

Honors his wife,

Honors his WORD,

Most importantly, FATHERHOOD IS ABOUT BEING PRESENT; 

 ~ Being a gift to your children; that they would never imagine their lives without you;

 ~ Being in a particular place - in this case, being part of their lives, being there constantly;

 ~ Being an award to and/or for them;

A man is judged by his character; his children judge his character by how much his actions show he loves their mother; and his wife judges his character by how good A FATHER/DAD he is to their children.

At a time of reproductive freedom for women, fatherhood must be more than a matter of DNA. A man must choose to be a father in the same way that a woman chooses to be a mother. ~ Mel Feit ~

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY TO ALL THE MEN OUT THERE!