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The importance of fathers

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

Fathers have taken a real beating in our society in the past forty years.  The man-hating feminist movement has declared them to be unnecessary, and the welfare state has pushed them aside in favor of a welfare check.  Many people have not appreciated the important role fathers play, with the result being that many children have grown up without the influence of a father.  Unfortunately, we are now reaping the results of this lack of fathers, as we see many seriously maladjusted children and adults.  Let’s hope we have learned the error of our ways and will again come to appreciate what good fathers do for their families and for our entire society, so the next generation of young men will play the roles they were meant to play and the next generation of children will have the benefit of growing up with both parents. 

In my own experience, I have seen the role that my grandfathers, my father, and my husband have played in our family.  Fathers make their families feel safe, secure, and protected. They make it clear that there are moral absolutes that must be followed.  They teach values, and they teach their children that they are valued.  They also give their children the courage to stand up to the bullies and bad guys in their lives.

My father is a chemical engineer and a hands-on tinkerer, and, from a young age, I helped him with anything he happened to be working on, bringing him tools or holding the light to help him see.  He taught me how gadgets worked and explained lots of natural phenomena we saw around us, like the surface tension of water and vapor pressure.  Of course, along with those lessons came lessons about his value system.  One of the most important lessons I learned from my father is to respect and appreciate the gifts and talents of every single person, not to feel better than or inferior to someone else based on formal education or money. 

Dad did everything he could to include us in his activities and to support our interests.  I have fond memories of going hunting with him in the woods in Connecticut, and I used to love to help him clean the game he would bring home.  He coached our swim team for many years, and, in recent years, some of the swimmers have told him what an important influence he was on their lives as well.  He helped me plan a course of study in college and gave me career advice, believing in my abilities and encouraging me to use them. When he took me to visit Notre Dame, where I became a member of the first freshman class of women, he even asked Ara Parseghian what my chances were of making the football team! You would think feminists would put a high value on those contributions made by a father, but apparently not.

As my husband and I have raised two girls, again I have seen the important role a father plays.  I think our daughters will have good relationships with the men in their lives because they have been treated with respect by their father.  They also have benefited from his sense of humor, his discipline, and his perspective.  When I have been at the end of my rope with the kids, Guillermo has jumped in and taken over, and the reverse is also true.  Our whole family is definitely better of because of our teamwork.

I can only imagine how much better off people would be if most children and families had the benefit of both fathers and mothers.  People would have more self-respect and self-discipline, and they would be more capable of taking care of themselves and those around them.  There would be far fewer crimes.  The example of teamwork in a family would teach children how to cooperate with others throughout their lives.  In short, if more men assumed their proper roles as fathers, the world would be a much better place.

See also: http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/DutchMartin/2006/06/18/200289.html

 And http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/Armstrongwilliams/2006/06/17/201664.html

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