The word father could be seen either as a noun or as a verb. As a noun, it simply means a male parent; which any seventeen-year-old, even a mad man can be addressed in as much as he can fertilize a woman. But father as a verb is a work, an assignment, a responsibility, a duty and a stewardship of which every male figure who facilitates the coming of human being to the world will give account one day.

The unfortunate and the sad experience of our days clearly show that majority of male figures who tiny tots call daddies are not in the real sense value the concept or what it stands for. Most fathers do not do a thorough study and research on what it takes to be a responsible father; most are accidental or circumstantial fathers; and are unprepared for the role. Even when it seems they are prepared, the preparations are driven by other factors and benefits of marriage not by understanding the duties and responsibilities of being called a father. If a group of daddies are asked to state what they know to be the duties of a responsible father, the best answers you can get from most of them will revolve round some provisions such as provisions of money, shelter, clothings and so on. Indeed, providing for the family is one of the ten main duties of a responsible father. No one who scores one out of ten can be said to have performed a little well at all. Therefore, every father must wake up to their sacred responsibilities if our tomorrow as a family, society and a nation will be better than today.

Below are the ten main duties of an effective and responsible father.

Leadership; Provision; Watching over; Security; Guidance; Mentoring; Good Example; Availability and Listening; Correction; and Coach.

None of these duties is less important. The most important and the first will be dealt with in the following paragraphs.

Leadership is the first requirement and the duty of a responsible father. Father Abraham became the blessing of human race because God could trust his leadership in his family. Even God acknowledged and said of him, “I know Abraham; he will command his household after the will of God.” Can the same be said of you? It has been observed that the successful family, organization, even a nation has one attribute that distinguishes it from the unsuccessful ones; dynamic and effective leadership.

Around the globe, humanity currently faces three extraordinary threats: the threat of annihilation as a result of nuclear accident or war, the threat of a worldwide plague or ecological catastrophe, and a deepening leadership crisis in most of our institutions, the primary of which is the family. Unlike the possibility of a plague or nuclear holocaust, the leadership failure is the most urgent and dangerous of the threats we face today, only because it could not be well recognized and understood.

Leadership is one of the most common characteristics of all the species of the animal kingdom. Whenever any of the species is in a group, a leader often emerges. Father as the leader of a family group determines the direction, the nature and the tempo of family activities. By way of definition, the Chamber’s dictionary defines leadership as follows; to show the way by going first; to proceed; to guide by the hand; to direct; to conduct. Every father should examine himself what kind of leader he is. To know your leadership qualities as a father, we need not look too far. What we need is to examine our household; that is, our children at whatever level they are. The signs of outstanding leadership in a family setting are primarily among the children. These signs are measured by the extent at which the children are morally sound, achieving results and exhibiting goodness in every area of life.

Finally, let it be noted by every father that the society fails when the fathers fail to provide effective leadership roles in individual families.

Odebunmi G. P

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