Fathers keep their children and family safe from all types of danger; from weather, wars, and any attacks from outside the home. They have provided family safety since Cave men guarded the entrance to their dwellings. They provide, often with a partner, a caring example for everyone by earning money for food, housing, and a decent level of living.  For their sons and daughters, they show how mature males serve others beginning with their nuclear family and help others in their neighborhood, State, and nationally in voluntary and paid work settings.  Being masculine does not mean you can lift 500 pounds, slay a tiger, or have a beard and  full head of hair. Each gender can offer fathering if their spirit conveys it by their actions.

They prove they can be adventurous yet happily alone; can fight in wars yet be kind to all.  In other words, fathering is the male version of a well lived, caring, productive life, and not a super hero facsimile. Fathering has changed from siring children to a multi-faceted array of behaviors, attributes, and commitments.  There could be no one picture representing fathers.

In our caregiving missions, always be grateful for what fathering can offer in promulgating, protecting, and enriching the lives of all human beings on planet Earth. To do less would be a travesty of a large order. Send a thank you to all fathers you know; especially yours!

By Terry Chapman