Father’s Day

JUNE is popularly referred to as the month of brides. But the month is also significant in many other respects. It is, for instance, the third Sunday in June that is set aside to show love and respect for fathers.
Today, June 19, is that day when Guyanese will observe Father’s Day. It is usually the time when fathers and caregivers receive gifts, are taken out for lunch or dinner or in one way or the other made to feel special.
Yet not everyone is lucky enough to have their biological fathers around due to abandonment, neglect or death, but that special bond and affection linger on to eternity.
Father’s Day was observed as a parallel to Mother’s Day which is observed each year on the second Sunday in May. Like mothers, fathers are special. There can be no substitute for fathers. As someone said, anyone can become a father but it takes someone special to become a dad.
As noted by President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, fatherhood is an important aspect of parenting. Stronger fathers create stronger societies. During his Father’s’ Day message to the nation last year, the President took the opportunity to wish every child an environment of comfort, safety, a sense of security and a father’s unconditional love.
“To all fathers and those who function in the role of caregivers and fathers, I thank you for playing your part in building stronger families and societies. I thank my father, grandfathers and all those who played a fatherly role in my life, for their support, love and guidance. May God bless you all.”
Such sentiments as expressed by the President are shared by Guyanese, indeed, people all over the world. A relatively young father himself, President Ali had spoken, as it were, from his heart, a view shared as well by First Lady Arya Ali who has recognized “our super dad in the home” and every other father across the country who continue to play an instrumental role in their child or children’s life’.
Unfortunately, not every child are that lucky to experience the joys of fatherhood and that unconditional love of fathers. Only recently, Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr Vindhya Persaud had cause to remind some fathers of their responsibilities to their children. According to the minister, absence from home should never mean absence from a child’s life and urged delinquent fathers to live up to their financial and other obligations.

The sad reality is that there are too many fathers who refuse to pay child support, even as staying together as a family unit always remain a preferred option. But, as noted by Minister Persaud, in the case of separation for whatever reason or reasons, men must take action to ensure that they remain in their children’s lives, not only in a financial way, but also to offer emotional and other forms of support.
Thankfully, most fathers take their parental responsibilities seriously and as a society, we are richer for that. A happy Father’s Day to all fathers!

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