The Divine Role of a Father

     In the typical family unit, we have two parent; a mother and a father. Both play very important roles in child development. There are many different ways to parent, but ultimately the goal is the same: to raise healthy and happy children. Today I want to talk specifically about fatherhood. The topic of fatherhood has become more prevalent as years move forward. The role of a father involves providing for a family. However, this is not the only thing that a father is necessary for. While many people say that the mother is the primary nurturer, I would argue that the nurturing qualities of the father are equally as important as a mother's. For example, when a father is more involved with a child in preschool, the child is less likely to have problems at school. 

    Fathers have qualities that mothers do not (and vise versa). One of the unique qualities many fathers have is the ability to relate to their child. It can be very healthy for a father to be able to sit down with their child and relate to them as they talk. In a healthy family, children recognize fathers as caring providers to whom they can relate to to a certain extent. I will use my father as an example. Everybody has difficult trials they face. It is part of life. I remember when times were particularly difficult for me in my youth. Sometimes I would spend lots of time in my room as a coping strategy to feel better and to forget about some of the problems in my life. My father would often notice this and go out of his way to help. Many times, he would come into my room and sit on the bed and just talk to me. A lot of the time, we didn't even talk about my personal struggles. We would just talk about different things we liked. At first, I would get kind of annoyed because I didn't want to necessarily talk to anyone. However, the more we talked, the more I realized that I actually do relate to my dad. We ended up developing a very close relationship because of this.

   Fathers can become emotionally involved earlier than many expect. A father can experience these emotions as soon as the wife is pregnant. Many fathers can even experience some of the same negative emotions as mothers, including post partum depression. There is often also anxiety even before a child is even born. It is best to become involved as early as you can. Research has shown that the more a father is involved with his children, the more satisfied with his life. They feel naturally happier and are psychologically less distressed. 

    Throughout the scriptures, we are taught that families are a part of Heavenly Father's plan for us. He has created all of us and has given us unique skills, talents, and roles to play. Being a father is one of the most sacred and important roles in His plan. There is a special kind of trust that Heavenly Father has for the fathers he has created. After all, He is our Heavenly FATHER. We are His children and He loves just like a father on Earth would love. There is nothing that we could ever do that would take His love away from us. There is no better father than He. In fact, He gave His only begotten son as a sacrifice in order to save us from sin as well as spiritual and temporal death. There is no greater expression of love than this. I hope this provides a new perspective on the essential divine calling of a father. May we strive to develop His perfect loving attributes as well as follow the example of His son.