Fathers

The children's book(s) I'm currently writing have a focus on family relationships while providing fun and lively adventures, and moral teaching.  I use a family of rabbits living on a farm as my characters. I deliberately have the father often take the lead in answering questions, explaining discipline, and interacting with his children.  It has long been a concern of mine about the role (or lack thereof) fathers play in family life.

We all know the stats and consequences of absentee fathers: broken homes, broken children, struggling wives and mothers who are all too often left to themselves to keep the family together.  A father is meant to be the covering of loving protection over his home and family.  Far too many dads abandon that responsibility.

Even though fathers may be physically present in the home, they can abandon the family emotionally.  They retreat behind the newspaper or stacks of work brought home from the office, and leave the mother to struggle with tending to the children (and all the housework).  Some fathers are glued to the television and don't hear or see their children's expressions of desire for personal interaction with them.  For many dads, the show they are watching is too important.  Resentment builds.  Not a good situation -- and kids pick up on it quickly.

A father can abandon the family spiritually.  He doesn't pray with his wife.  There is no leadership to instill the Word of God into their precious children.  In many cases, the wife is left to read Bible stories to their kids, hear bedtime prayers, or take them to church by herself.  Often the wife is left to administer discipline herself.

How our homes need godly parents!  Even in Christian families, the role models are too often not good.  It is my prayer that my writing will help parents see their children in a different light, be less self-focused, less prideful , less bossy, and hear from God on how to be a godly parent.

How beautiful it would be if parents would be humble enough to come to their child and ask forgiveness of the child for not handling a situation in a godly manner.  What healing might come to the home?

I remember a situation between me and our oldest son when he was about 14 years of age.  We had disagreements over how he should dress for church, and things got quite heated.  The Holy Spirit convicted me, and I asked him to come join me on the couch.  As I recall, we both had tears in our eyes as I asked him to forgive me for the way I had spoken to him.  He forgave me, and we hugged.  It was not so important what he wore to church, as long as it was neat and clean.  I had to admit within myself it was my own pride over "what others think" if he doesn't dress "up".  Our children will more readily come to us with a problem if they see we are humble and honest enough to ask forgiveness if we need to do it.

Even though my books are for ages 8-12, they are also intended to be read to younger children.  It is my hope that as parents and grandparents read to them, change will also happen within the adults.  At the end of the book, there are interesting questions for each chapter that I pray will stimulate good discussion between child and parent/grandparent.  I pray dads will read it to their children, and not just expect moms to do it. :)

It's interesting to note the last Bible verse in the Old Testament.  Subject:  fathers.  I sincerely pray that God will "turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers", so our land will not be filled with the curse that sin brings.

On my next posting, I plan to talk a bit about the role of grandmothers in the lives of their grandchildren.

I invite you, the reader, to post your insights and remarks in the comment box below.

Copyright © 2011 Elaine Beachy