Sunday 22 June 2014

Celebrating Fathers...



By Collin Banda

He wakes up every day at 4am to the sound of his wife shouting at him. His children greet him every morning with a list of demands. At work, pressure is mounting as he faces the chop of a retrenchment exercise currently at his workplace. He is beginning to feel as if he has failed his family and has lost purpose of life. This is the life of Mr Ncube, a married man, father of three and an employee of a mining company just a few kilometers out of the city.
Today as we take time to honour our fathers, it is situations like these that come to my mind. At the mention of the word father, the following description appears in our minds; provider, protector, strong, emotionless and pillar. Fathers have and continue to be seen as strong people who will never fall down or be defeated by anything in life. Such a standpoint is ok but it has also lead to the ill treatment of fathers in families. Such a perception has made us not appreciate these people we call father and dad.
Because someone is strong, it does not mean that when they fall ill they are not entitled to medication and treatment. Taking this in context, because fathers are known as providers does not mean that even when they are down we have to continue pressuring them which eventually kills their ego, which is literally the engine that keeps all men going. Today as we celebrate Father’s Day let us take time to appreciate all the things, whether big or small that our fathers do for us.  I lost my father when I was in grade 3 and ever since then I have taken it upon myself to make sure that all young people appreciate their parents when they are still alive because that is the greatest earthly gift the Lord can ever giver you.
To all mothers out there, today is your day too. The amount of love shown by children towards their father is directly though not proportionally related to the love you show to your husbands. Treat them with honour so that they can be honoured out there where ever they go. Give them abundant love so that they will always be lovable by all. To all those who have lost a father or have never had the opportunity to see their father in life, do not despair. I love our African community and its culture for it says ‘umntwana kamakhelwane ngowakho’ (a neighbours child is as good as yours) meaning that as children who have also lost our parents, our elders in the community are still there to play the parenting roles in our life. Lets honour them to today.  
Lastly and most importantly to all fathers out there, we love you, we appreciate you and we honour you. Always know that your love for us is not defined by the things you provide for us or the amount of money you give us but it is defined by the time you spend with us and are always there for us when we need you. That is why we honour you and are taking time to celebrate you this day. Happy Fathers Day 2014!

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