WATCH IT, FATHERS (JUNE 22, 2010)

ANOTHER Fathers Day celebration passed last Sunday with little or no fanfare in many Ghanaian homes and our society at large.
Unlike Mothers Day that is always commemorated with so much revelry and merrymaking worldwide, the Fathers Day event, which is essentially to celebrate fatherhood and male parenting, was so low-key that it left many observers wondering what could have caused the lack of interest in such an important occasion.
Is it simply because many Ghanaians do not recognise and appreciate Fathers Day, which has been religiously celebrated since 1910? Or is it a way of protesting the irresponsible fatherhood many homes in this country have had to live with?
The Daily Graphic strongly believes the latter reason may have influenced our disposition to the event and this is further buttressed by views expressed by majority of people interviewed by Ghana Television (GTV) to mark the day.
The respondents, ironically mostly women, said they were not interested in the observance of the day because their fathers did very little in their upbringing. According to them, they decided to work on the day instead of honouring their fathers because their survival depended solely on themselves.
Whichever way one looks at it, the DAILY GRAPHIC thinks the posture of these respondents brings to the fore the general acknowledgement of irresponsibility of fathers in our society and it is urgently necessary that we deal with the situation before it gets totally out of hand.
The question is: What role should fathers play in the everyday lives of their children, beyond the traditional breadwinner role? Besides, how much traditional nurturing activities of mothers should they emulate and how much masculine sex role model should they represent to their children?
Essentially, responsible fatherhood is getting fathers to engage with their children. If fathers can get them involved right off when they are babies then it will continue throughout life.
Indeed, studies in some advanced countries have shown that children who have an ongoing, positive connection to their fathers do better in school and get along better with their peers than children without such a relationship. Those children whose fathers play a positive role in their lives also tend to stay out of the juvenile justice system.
Psychologists also believe that the roles men and women play in their families are equally difficult and important. Yet, they say fathers play a distinctly different role than mothers in raising children. In fact, while mothers are more interested in holding their children close, men nurture by encouraging the children to try and take risks.
We are aware that much as some fathers want to be caring and responsible, they are unable to provide economic support, often as a result of educational deficits. But this is normally more of the exception than the rule.
In his annual Fathers Day event, President Barrack Obama urged fathers to mentor their own children — and also reach out to those in the community who do not have strong parental or guardian support.
Not only does the DAILY GRAPHIC share in Obama’s message but would also like to send a clear message to our fathers that there is no excuse for failing to meet their obligations.
Fathers need to spend more time with their children, expand their knowledge of child development and build their child-rearing skills to change the public’s perception and attitudes of men and their roles as fathers.