Positive Father Role Models

In most media, fathers aren't portrayed in a very positive light. The Cosby Show was one of the few that did. And it was even better that his skin color was not white; incidentally, it remains the same till this day.

This particular rant has been brought about from reading the vast array of children's books that we have for the girls. M is very into the Berenstain Bears books right now. I loved those growing up. But as a dad, they leave something to be desired. In most, Papa Bear is a bumbling idiot at best and a very negative figure at worst. Papa's parenting style is "they're only kids once" and he basically leaves all discipline and parenting to Mama Bear, undermining her attempts often.

Do these books teach good lessons about manners, the gimmes, school, etc? That's a resounding Yes. However, they fail to present a cohesive parental unit that seek to guide their children to maturity. Sure, Mama gets the job done in the end, but it's often in spite of Papa and his meddling. I know it is hard to keep a united front for your children, especially when Dad gets home from work and doesn't know the circumstances or the new rules that got put in place that day. M has already started the thing where mommy said no, so let's go ask daddy, and vice-versa. Thankfully, we're both pretty good at steering her back to the answer from the original parent. We say that daddy's answer is the same as mommy's.

So fathers, let's show our ladies and our kids what a real dad and a real husband look like. If we are mature in Christ, then we can help combat the nonreality that the media present.