By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, June 21, GNA – The Reverend Nathaniel Affram, District Minister of the Evangelical Presbyterian (E.P.) Church, Ghana, Kaneshie Parish, Sunday called on fathers to move beyond merely providing for their families and become emotionally present in the lives of their children.
Many of the social challenges confronting Ghana, including indiscipline among the youth, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, examination malpractice and cybercrime, could partly be traced to the absence of engaged fathers in homes, he said.
Speaking on the topic: “Ghana, We Need to Talk About Our Fathers” to mark Father’s Day celebration, Rev. Affram observed that while Mother’s Day was celebrated with enthusiasm and nationwide admiration, Father’s Day continued to attract relatively less attention.
He said the disparity reflected deeper issues surrounding fatherhood and family relationships in society.
“Many men have not been present enough, consistently enough, in the daily emotional lives of their children to have earned a deep celebration,” he stated.
Rev. Affram said a father who only provided financial support but withheld his time, attention and affection risked becoming a distant figure in the lives of his children.
“The silence on Father’s Day in many homes is not ingratitude. It is the honest reflection of a relationship that was never built,” he said.
The Clergyman noted that society had, over the years, lowered the standards of fatherhood by celebrating men for performing responsibilities that were ordinarily expected of parents.
“We praise fathers for doing the minimum and the minimum becomes the ceiling,” he said, adding that fathers should be held to the same standards of care, commitment and sacrifice expected of mothers.”
He urged fathers to assess their relationships with their children and ask difficult questions about their involvement in their children’s lives.
“Do you know what worries your child? Do you know their dreams, their closest friend or the battles they are fighting quietly?” he asked.
Rev. Affram said the future of Ghana would not be shaped only in Parliament or boardrooms but also in homes where fathers intentionally nurtured, guided and supported their children.
He called on workplaces, schools, churches and national institutions to treat fatherhood as an important investment in national development and celebrate men who raised children with integrity.
“The day when Father’s Day in Ghana carries the same warmth as Mother’s Day will come when children can honestly say of their fathers: he was there, he knew me and he stayed,” Rev. Afraid said.
He expressed optimism that stronger families and a better society could be built if fathers deliberately chose to reconnect with their children and played active roles in their upbringing.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Morkporkpor Anku