Who is a father?

A father is a male parent, and no woman can play this role successfully. This is the natural order, a woman can never be a father because she is female and lacks the inbuilt skills and gifts of a father.

This is one of the challenges of single parenting, the absence of the missing parent always affects the complete transformation of the child to an adult.

The only One who can play both the fatherly and motherly role is God, because in Him exists both male and female. In Him, all fullness dwells. Colossians 1:19.

As a nurturer, the father cares and protects the child and mother from any form of harm. Joseph as a nurturer was the one God instructed to take the child Jesus away from the reach of Herod the King. As a father, you are responsible for caring and protecting for all those under your care. This applies to male leaders in any position, in business, in government or ecclesiastical, you are to protect those under your watch.

As a role model, the child looks up to the father as an example of how he should live. It is thus important that you set good example. Do not curse around your children, do not throw dirts or garbage from your car, they will emulate you. Whatever they see you doing, they will try on their own. So how you live your life has a lot of impact on the child. Many men who abuse their wives actually grew up with abusive fathers, same with women.

As a guide, the father provides guidance both spiritual and moral for the child. Children at infancy stage are like plain paper, their characters are formed by the words, acts of discipline, instructions and training provided by the parents, especially the father.

Fathers help their children in making right choices in life, and this is a key role. A father who never had the proper guidance may find it difficult to guide correctly, but thank God we have the Holy Books and other books to guide us in parenting.

We will continue on the subject of a father next week.

Have a great week ahead.

Adewumi Oni

08028395824

09095321147

wumioni@yahoo.com

Instagram: onadol

Twitter: @DewumiOni

“Parenting or child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively to the biological relationship.” (Wikipedia).

It is the process of nurturing and training a child from infancy to adulthood. It is a deliberate act of planting virtues and moral values in a child with the aim that the child would grow to be a complete person.

This process is very important because lack of it can lead to character deficiency in the child involved. Whether as biological parents or foster parents, someone who has been well fathered must play the role of a father and someone who has been properly mothered must play the role of a mother.

So who is a father? A father is the male parent, a nurturer, a role model, a guide, an influencer, a shaper of character , an instiller of discipline, a judge, a protector, a provider, and a leader.

Who is a mother? A mother is the female parent, a carer, a homekeeper, a discerner, a moral support, a warmth provider and an emotional support.

Every child needs both the fatherly and motherly figures. The absence of either can significantly affect the complete formation of character for the child.

We will continue in this series by looking at each of the qualities of a father and mother next week.

Have a great week ahead.

Adewumi Oni

08028395824

09095321147

wumioni@yahoo.com

Instagram: onadol

Twitter: @DewumiOni