I didn't say anything around Fathers’ Day last week, mostly because I thought I had already said everything I wanted to say in previous years.
But then a few days ago, someone reminded me that as long as the injustice prevails, it is my duty to repeat myself.
A friend of mine said to me that there’s a possibility that someone is reading my thoughts for the first time.
Or someone who has read it before, understands it differently this time around.
They say the teacher will come, when the student is ready.
And it got me thinking about all the times we keep quiet because we are tired of repeating ourselves.
Whether it is about the precautions we all need to continue taking around Coronavirus, the decay of our communities, or the issues that affect fatherhood, sometimes the matter is important enough to require repetition.
So much of the problems we experience in our communities stem from the absence of strong and healthy father figures.
Too many of the fathers in the hoods don’t take their responsibilities seriously enough.
I still hear of single mothers forced to humiliate themselves in courtrooms, just so that men can support their kids.
Single mothers forced to humiliate themselves in courtrooms, just so that men can support their kids
I hear of men who cause irreparable damage to children, even though they are fathers themselves.
I still see fathers who are not putting every effort into being a dad, into ensuring that their children are better than them in every way.
Fathers who are not setting excellent examples to their own children, and to their communities in which they raise those children, are not worthy of the name “father”.
As parents, we often hear how we are potentially raising the future captains of industry, the future scientists and engineers; developers and entrepreneurs.
But what we don’t hear is that, if we don’t do everything in our power, every single day, we could also be raising a future burglar or rapist, a hitman or drug mule, pimp, or a future gang boss.
Being a father is awesome, but it’s also an awesome responsibility.