There is no doubt that mothers play an all-important leading role in the
lives of their children. They are the obvious heroes of child rearing.
But what about a father's role? Just how important are the dads of the
world compared to the almighty image of mother? My belief is that
fathers play just as important a role as mothers. Different, yes.
Possibly not as nurturing, not as all-sacrificing but just as important
in the developmental and emotional well being of a child.
Dads are the solid foundation of our lives. They are the shore we swim
to when our arms and legs feel increasingly tired. They are the strength
we rely on as we take our first tentative steps into the world. Dads can
be tender, tough, fragile or powerful but they are probably the most
uncomplicated love we will ever know.
For daughters, Daddy is the first man they adore ... the first man whose
eyes shine with overwhelming amazement when they look at us. He is the
first man to fall in love with us.
For sons, Daddy is the idol they first aspire to emulate ...
their mirror image of what will be and possibly the only man they will
ever feel comfortable loving.
Daddy is the first man who held us, as a loving parent, with a lump in
his throat so huge, only the joy of that love could erase the
overwhelming pain of choking on unexpected raw emotion. I think when a
father holds his newborn baby, he is touched by pure vulnerability for
the first time in his adult life, leaving him forever humbled by the
unexplained miracles of life.
For mothers, the father of our children is the one person we can trust
to watch over our babies as closely as we would. We are secure in the
knowledge of their love for our precious offspring. Dad is the only
other person in the world as fascinated with every nuance and murmur of
our babies. He is the one person on the planet with whom we can indulge
our need to brag and carry on about our kid's accomplishments and
heartaches ad nauseum ... one who will be just as interested and never
yawn in the face of our devotion.
Without dads, we wouldn't be moms. I would like to take the liberty of
thanking them from all our hearts for this honor and for being our
partners in this business of raising children.
Know how much you are loved and revered, guys! You are our trusted
soldiers and we need you more than you will ever realize.
Copyright – 2000-2002- Rexanne Mancini
Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty.
She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet
informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com –
http://www.rexanne.com
-Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages
and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter,
Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne:
http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html
Trick or Treating - Keep
Your Kids Safe Halloween is a holiday loved by kids everywhere. It’s a fun time
to dress up like silly or scary characters and go trick-or-treating in the
neighborhood. Be sure your kids are safe while trick-or-treating with these
quick tips..
