Great article in the National Review today on husbands and fathers…if you’re either one of these, or married to one, read it.
I’d like to make the case that the most important thing fathers can do
for their children is to love their mother. And likewise, among the
many things mothers do for their children, one of the most important is
that mothers love their children’s father.
I grew up in a home where my father showed my mother the UTMOST respect. To this day he calls her his ‘beautiful bride.’ In return, my mother lifted him up, never passing on an opportunity to praise him. In this I felt a wonderful sense of order, and an unmistakable sense of safety. There is nothing I cherish more in my role as father than climbing into bed with my kids in the pitch of night, and making them feel safe. My heart aches, particualrly on father’s day, for the millions of kids who ride out the night without the hero to make them feel ok.
Most men, with an insignificant number of exceptions, are capable of
this heroic loyalty. We women can call this out of our men. We don’t
achieve this by nagging. We certainly don’t achieve it by competing
with them over who makes the most money, or by keeping score with them
on who does the most household chores. We need to build them up, as St.
Paul says. Watch them sit up straighter and taller when we appreciate
and admire them.
My success as a father begins where Jamie’s love ends, and this is the case for all fathers. We’re husbands first, and cherished husbands make for great fathers.
watersix 