With Father’s Day coming up this Sunday, I ran across the following conversation on Facebook several years ago. I am changing the names of those in the conversation (I only know one of the commenters), but I believe you will find it interesting nonetheless. Please forgive the grammar/spelling. After all, it’s Facebook.
Status Poster: Gah that little boy sure does know how to break my heart with questions I wasn’t ready for yet, not like I haven’t had 7 years to prepare though! Operation Find A Daddy is now in full swing! Gotta get that boy a daddy!
Female Commenter 1: i understand trust me han will have question about her bio and it will be hard but by grace of god i will have the answers to make her understand god made the decision about our faimly! things will work out sweetie ill say a prayer. Status Poster: Thanks Female Commenter 1 [emoji]
Female Commenter 2: My heart goes out to you. My oldest grandson who will be 18 in Oct has never know his dad. Breaks my heart. And I just want to find his dad and beat the crap out of him.
Status Poster: You and me both! May God not ever bring the day that I run into “the daddy” again… cause it won’t be a pretty day
Female Commenter 2: I know what you mean. How can someone be do self center and nog love his on kid? The sad thing the boy has never ask about him. He is such a good person excellent grades, awesome golfer. Just an all around sweet person.Maybe a little spoiled because of his grandma…lol but that’s ok.
Status Poster: Sad thing is, is his sperm donor has another kid. The people at the child support told me that several years ago and they werent supposed to. They accidently let it slip. So TECHNICALLY somewhere my son has a half sister somewhere… Not that i care to find her or anything… but saying he’s been a crappy man for not just one but two kids… sad thing for him… bc my boy is off the chain awesome
Female Commenter 3: Just remember…. If someone fills out the application and a Facebook friending ensues… Delete this status [emoji]
and do what i told you to do before. Seriously.
Male Commenter: Lmt Just don’t let them think you only want a baby daddy [emoji]
Female Commenter 4: Your kiddo is pretty awesome
Female Commenter 5: Be careful…better to have no Daddy than to have a bad Daddy…find someone you can love and someone you won’t mind disciplining your baby. If you want a Father for your son you are gonna have to be willing to let them be a Father,
Status Poster: Very true!!! And thats where my problem lies! So I may put that on hold for a while. Kids done ok this long he can continue lol
Male Commenter: Lmt She is right. That’s the number 1 reason almost all logical men refuse to seriously consider women with kids. That and the man is almost always a less priority then the kid.
Status Poster: oh i know. sad but true. i takes a truly unselfish man to be a dad to another mans child! and there are a few of em left!
This conversation illustrates an all-to-familiar problem these days. There is a big difference between a “sperm donor” and a father. The problem is, we don’t realize this difference until it it too late.
On television, fathers are often portrayed as bumbling idiots, while the mom is the smart and savvy parent.
Pastor Mark Gungor of Laugh Your Way To A Better Marriage points out several facts about the importance of fathers:
“If you want a clear picture of what kids without fathers can become, look no further than our prison system. The vast majority of men and women incarcerated grew up without a strong father to influence their moral and spiritual development. Children who grow up without dads have more school and behavioral issues, higher suicide rates, increased drug and substance abuse and juvenile delinquency, and the list goes on and on. Whether through divorce, abandonment, or being disconnected, disengaged and never present with the family, absent fathers create a huge void—and our society is suffering for it.”
The bottom line is that “Dad” is important. And we need to challenge our young men to be more than “sperm donors.” We need a generation of fathers to rise up and take their rightful place as influencers to their children. In addition, we should celebrate the Dads that are doing it right — the ones that are committed to their families and are actively involved in their lives.
This Sunday should be more than a day we let Dad sleep in or watch what he wants on TV.
I would like to say “thank you” to my dad (who is in Heaven today) and all the dads out there. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not important. You are extremely important.
Happy Father’s Day.
David Specht is editor and publisher of the Minden Press-Herald.
