Greetings to you all again, I hope this
text finds you all in good health and strength. Once again thank you for taking
time to view my blog.
My message to all absent fathers is “rather
late than never, it is never too late to mend.”
To the men who have been absent from the
lives of their children for a long period of time it may be that the spirit is
willing but the flesh is weak. They must understand that Rome was not built in
one day, building relationships takes time. As they say, the road to hell is
paved with good intentions, some of these absent men might have left with good
intentions of seeking employment elsewhere in order to put bread on the table
for their children and we cannot avoid the fact that things do not go as
planned.
Men have a sense of pride. Some view themselves as failures if
they cannot provide for their children but forgetting that running away from
your problems and responsibilities will not make them disappear, failing to
remember that while there is life there is hope for a better tomorrow.
“The only time a man turns his back on his
child is for them to hop on it,” said social commentator, Okuhle Blom.
Meanwhile, some absent men resort to the
abuse of alcohol and drugs to deal with their conscience of being deadbeat dads
wondering how their children are facing their daily lives.
In their defence, some men strongly hold the view that they will struggle on
being fathers because they never had this role model growing up. Growing up
without a dad makes some children envious and filled with anger.
They also
struggle to sustain relationships with peers. Children need these paternal individuals to be
more than a financial provider and also being the moral teacher, moreover
having an emotional connection to their children.
While most men still hold the traditional
view about their roles and still see tasks such as feeding, bathing and
entertaining a child, as the duty of a mother , they can still encourage
themselves to assume paternal roles such as taking part in childcare, in
children’s recreational activities or just be simply present whenever he or she
needs you.
“I do not have much to give because I had
her at a young age but I cherish every breath of my precious daughter, every
time I count my blessings I count her twice there is no me without her. Since
her birth I found a meaning towards life,” said proud young dad, Unathi Sululu.
