A father is an important element in every child’s life. Fatherless has become the most harmful demographic trend of this generation. Is it normal for a child to grow up without a father? I don’t think so. So hallelujah to TV personality Luthando ‘Lootlive’ Shosha critic on absent fathers in a number of social media posts, indeed it was an eye opener. This is a revelation and she acted as a mouth piece of every child out there across the continent who is suffering from this virus of father absenteeism.
So many children have grown up without knowing what it means to have a father. This has become a moil in many African households but it doesn’t have to be like that. The worst part is that absent fathers have no idea how far the ripples of their rejection go. Although women have taken over the burden, the void and the idea of a fatherly figure can never be replaced. The thought of rejection will always torment many childhoods. What if questions will constantly keep them in inner-self struggles to find their identity and have that man figure to relate to?
The pandemic is on the rise and successive generations have grown up in the void of fatherlessness. What really is causing this? Is it a result of unwanted pregnancy among young adults or just a selfish act of the men species? Only if they knew how deep the rejection wounds go on the children maybe they would reconsider. Society even makes it worse by ridiculing fatherless children, adding more pain to the fresh wounds. From the rate things are going most children are spending a significant portion of their childhoods living apart from their parents.
Father-child relationship is important in the development of positive identity and self-esteem. Get me right I’m not saying mothers do not contribute but a yearning for a father figure lives in every child. Without a father-figure we looking at a family system and see it breakdown the traditional family, isn’t it we say the father is the head of the family in African culture so how come absent fathers don’t see the consequences. The impact affects people alike whether male or female and it cripples the ability to achieve self-identity. It comes up in every aspect of our lives and anchors us from progress.
So Dear all absent fathers out there that are not part of their child’s life, please do better. The damage that your absence cause is deeper than you think and it is high time you know how important you are in the development of your child’s identity and positive self-esteem.
