Rather Late Than Never.

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.