In Search of a Father’s Love
The father’s role in the shaping of his children’s lives is the most important domain where their success or failure will start with him. His greatest success will not be based on whether he was a powerful leader, celebrity, athlete, musician, actor, attorney, doctor, nor fulfilling any other standard or definition. This is simply just an artificial title of what he does. It is not who he is.
His greatest success and achievement will come in the title that is most fitting: father.
Image via Wikipedia
In 2007, we, as a nation, witnessed the tragic incidents ranging from the drug overdose death of Anna Nicole Smith (February 
Lindsay Lohan’s car crash due to driving while under the influence of alcohol (May 26) to Paris Hilton’s jail sentencing for repeated various violations. Their stories made the national and local front page headlines, negatively impacting our society and young people.
Young people today are desperately looking for acceptance and role models. When parents and authorities do not exemplify a positive role-model image, they are left to their own ways, reaping a whirlwind of disastrous consequences that affect everyone close to them.
While fingers can be pointed at media forces such as Hollywood, the Internet, television programming or violent video games contributing to a negative influence on young children, teenagers and other young people, the one primary factor that can make all the difference should bear the most responsibility—the father. This is neither an indictment against fathers, nor an implication that all fathers are irresponsible. It’s simply a wake-up call for fathers to take a good, hard look at deep-rooted issues in the lives of their sons and daughters, who are crying out for help indirectly by their ill-fated choices. A father who is a positive role-model and who disciplines, tempered with love, can be that X factor.
In looking into Smith’s life, I found that how she died was closely connected to how she lived in a dysfunctional relationship with her estranged parent, Virgie Arthur. Smith’s living will made it clear that her mother was to have no contact with her granddaughter, Dannielynn. Because of a lack of a male figure in her childhood, (Smith’s father abandoned her at the age of two), she experienced depression and drug addiction, and made poor choices concerning the men in her life.
All children at an early age are in need of a father figure in their lives. A young girl without the influence of a positive role-model in her life will look for approval from other men and is willing to do anything to get it.
Liked it
-
Post CommentCarmela Quintanilla
On August 11, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Excellent reminder of how important the role of a father is in a girl’s life. Perhaps a counter article about the positive influence/role a father has been in a girl’s lfe – (a success story crediting the involvement of a father).