By Dr. John Boakye
A father is a leader and an anchor man of his family. He stabilises and builds his family as he provides, directs, organises, inspires and influences the activities of the family. A Ghanaian Professor says ‘leadership is cause, everything else is effect’. No wonder the Good Book mentions father over 1000 times. For example in Jer..31:29, we read “the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge”. This shows the power of fathers as the primary authority of the family. The Catholic Church also teaches that the father is the representative of God in the family. If everyone needs Christ then everybody has the basic human right to a father.
Many studies confirm that the impact of fathers on children could be greater than mothers. For example, research shows that if a father gets involved in the upbringing of his children from birth to the formative years the children grow up to be more secure, confident and have higher output. A father’s attitude and role are therefore the most important determinant of the health of a family. Good fathers make good families, strong Churches and strong societies.
