Father

I have spoken about the different roles in the family before, but today I want to focus mostly on fathers. There are so many messages in the world today attacking families today, and from what I see, many problems in the family come from either people misunderstanding a father’s responsibility, or a man disregarding their responsibilities. As a guideline for what I see as a father’s responsibility I will turn to “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” In this document it states, “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” I strongly believe that these roles are truly by divine design. The family is a sacred unit ordained by God. In my own experience I have seen these attributes to be that of a loving and caring father. My dad has been a wonderful provider and I am so grateful for him.

The importance of a father can be seen throughout society. The likelihood of crime, sexual promiscuity, and other harmful behaviors increase dramatically when there's not a father in the home. These situations can come about for a variety of reasons, and no individual circumstance is the same as another, but the importance of having both a father and a mother actively participating in a child’s life is evident. 

Now, having two actively participating parents does not mean that there are just two people providing the same 

services. They have different roles, tendencies, and methods for raising a family. These attributes are divine. This does not mean that every family should be exactly the same. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and these are best developed and used together. Having a provider, protector, and presider ensures a sense of security and confidence in a family. Children also need parental help at the home that comes from a nurturing mother, and when there is no one consistently there to provide that help the children go searching for those answers in other places. I think that we have each experienced learning something by our own searching when asking a parent may have been the best choice. It has led me to some places that I did not want to be.

Many people will argue that in today’s economy a family needs the income from both parents working in order to survive financially. However, studies have shown that having both parents pursue a career actually decreases the income for the family as a whole due to the extra expenses that need to be paid, let alone the cost it has for the children’s development.

Now to be personal for a moment, I would like to look at how God treats us. I know that God is there and that He is quite literally the Father of our spirits. As an all knowing Heavenly Parent He, along with our Heavenly Mother, loves us perfectly. Something that I want to strive to do when I become a parent is to ask myself when considering parenting my children is, “Is this how Heavenly Father parents me?” There is a pattern to follow that God has given us that, when followed, will not lead to a perfect family, but one that can be one day. There is a painting by J. Kirk Richards titled “The Breath of Life” that depicts the creation of Adam, and shows both of our Heavenly Parents. It is a beautiful painting and reminds me of the love and care that they show me and how I am to treat my family.