By Francis Quamina Farrier

WITH the arrival of the year 2020 also came the COVID-19 pandemic, which devastated all countries around the world; some more than others. It was a time when fathers had to step up even more to be there for their families. That was more so for men who had pre-teen children. More was demanded of fathers who were there for their children during the good times. So, in the bad times of the then raging COVID-19, one observed those responsible fathers who did all they could to give their children the necessary extra care and attention in terms of staying COVID-free and healthy.

Society is sometimes oblivious to fathers who go the extra mile for their children, and tend to shout primarily about those who do not. On this Father’s Day 2023, I find it extremely important to uplift, even more, those men who take fathering as a most important responsibility in our society. Many fathers realised just how important it was to be at home much more during the period of COVID-19.

As is seen in the photograph accompanying this article, is a candid photograph which I took of a father with his sick young daughter at a hospital as they were awaiting medical attention. Although he was wearing a ‘COVID’ protective mask, I could yet observe that father’s deep concern and anguish regarding his daughter’s health from his body language. He is certainly a “hands-on” father, as the photograph shows.

Some years ago, while covering a story at the Georgetown Public Hospital, I interacted with a male nurse who was on duty at the time. He went about his duties with such calm, and even professional pleasure, I’d add. So, I enquired of him about choosing such a career. He mentioned that he was a father, and his nursing skills often came in very useful. For him, the nursing profession was not only a career from which he earned an income, but a career which, as a father, was personally useful. It was no guesswork whenever it became necessary to administer the correct medicine to his children. That duty, he further explained, was also to his extended family, as well as to neighbours and friends, from time to time. On this Father’s Day, the hope is that you have already done your loving duty to your father as you read this article. If, however, your father has passed on, you can reflect on the many happy memories you shared together, and, in your heart, wish him “Happy Father’s Day”.

A loving father with his sick little daughter at a hospital (Photograph by Francis Quamina Farrier)