Fathers
Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with friends, family, and delicious food. I was so excited to be back home, and I can’t wait to back with my family for Christmas.
This week in Family Relations we discussed fathers. It was another discussion that partly covered the differences between men and women, or the differences between fathering and mothering. One interesting thing I learned was that mothers tend to gather children in, while fathers tend to prepare their children for the world and will turn them outward. The Family Proclamation teaches: “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” The Proclamation also teaches that while husbands and wives have different responsibilities and attributes pertaining to their roles in the family, they are expected to work closely together to see that these roles are fulfilled. “In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”
Unfortunately, many don’t understand the importance of fathers in the world. Some see fathers as optional. Fathers are a crucial part of families for many reasons, demonstrated in an article called “Fatherhood in the Twenty-First Century” (link below). First, there is a benefit for children when a father is emotionally involved: “Fathers’ emotional investment in, attachment to, and provision of resources for their children are all associated with the well-being, cognitive development, and social competence of young children.” There’s also a great benefit for adolescents whose fathers are close. They experience less delinquent behavior and emotional distress. Fathers also respond to their children differently than mothers do, and children may benefit from having balance parenting styles and from having two parents to rely on for support.
As we studied this topic, I was reminded of one of my favorite talks by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, called “Fathers.” In the talk, Elder Christofferson taught that fatherhood is much more than a social role, it is also a spiritual role. I believe that there are many blessings in knowing and believing that we have a Father in Heaven who cares for us, and that He designed our families to have fathers and mothers. When we know Him, we know who we are to become.
Sometimes I struggle to see Heavenly Father as He really is. When I was younger, I thought He was stern and strict, and I didn’t know how He could know me personally when others always seemed to misunderstand me. I thought He had no interest in my personal happiness, He just wanted me to follow the rules. As I grew (in years of age and years of faith) I had experiences where I felt His love. I learned that He does want me to be happy, and He knows me better than I know myself. Elder Christofferson stated, “His character and attributes include abundant goodness and perfect love. His work and glory are the development, happiness, and eternal life of His children.”
As I wrote this, I reflected on my own father. My dad has shown me how to cultivate my talents, how to take responsibility, and how to have faith in God. He has shown great strength in the trials my family has gone through. I’m grateful for his example in my life.
Having a husband who is a dedicated father is very important to me. My studies give me many opportunities to think about and prepare for my own future family. I hope that as I look for and choose a righteous young man to marry, and as I support him in his priesthood duties, we can create a happy family together.
I hope you all have a great week! Tell your fathers how much you love them 😄
—Audrey Kaydrey (Fun fact: my dad gave me the nickname I use for this blog ☺️)
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/65867/1467-8624.00126.pdf
This week in Family Relations we discussed fathers. It was another discussion that partly covered the differences between men and women, or the differences between fathering and mothering. One interesting thing I learned was that mothers tend to gather children in, while fathers tend to prepare their children for the world and will turn them outward. The Family Proclamation teaches: “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” The Proclamation also teaches that while husbands and wives have different responsibilities and attributes pertaining to their roles in the family, they are expected to work closely together to see that these roles are fulfilled. “In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”
Unfortunately, many don’t understand the importance of fathers in the world. Some see fathers as optional. Fathers are a crucial part of families for many reasons, demonstrated in an article called “Fatherhood in the Twenty-First Century” (link below). First, there is a benefit for children when a father is emotionally involved: “Fathers’ emotional investment in, attachment to, and provision of resources for their children are all associated with the well-being, cognitive development, and social competence of young children.” There’s also a great benefit for adolescents whose fathers are close. They experience less delinquent behavior and emotional distress. Fathers also respond to their children differently than mothers do, and children may benefit from having balance parenting styles and from having two parents to rely on for support.
As we studied this topic, I was reminded of one of my favorite talks by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, called “Fathers.” In the talk, Elder Christofferson taught that fatherhood is much more than a social role, it is also a spiritual role. I believe that there are many blessings in knowing and believing that we have a Father in Heaven who cares for us, and that He designed our families to have fathers and mothers. When we know Him, we know who we are to become.
Sometimes I struggle to see Heavenly Father as He really is. When I was younger, I thought He was stern and strict, and I didn’t know how He could know me personally when others always seemed to misunderstand me. I thought He had no interest in my personal happiness, He just wanted me to follow the rules. As I grew (in years of age and years of faith) I had experiences where I felt His love. I learned that He does want me to be happy, and He knows me better than I know myself. Elder Christofferson stated, “His character and attributes include abundant goodness and perfect love. His work and glory are the development, happiness, and eternal life of His children.”
As I wrote this, I reflected on my own father. My dad has shown me how to cultivate my talents, how to take responsibility, and how to have faith in God. He has shown great strength in the trials my family has gone through. I’m grateful for his example in my life.
Having a husband who is a dedicated father is very important to me. My studies give me many opportunities to think about and prepare for my own future family. I hope that as I look for and choose a righteous young man to marry, and as I support him in his priesthood duties, we can create a happy family together.
I hope you all have a great week! Tell your fathers how much you love them 😄
—Audrey Kaydrey (Fun fact: my dad gave me the nickname I use for this blog ☺️)
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/65867/1467-8624.00126.pdf
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