#fatherlesssons

Dads are like back teeth, you don’t miss them until they are gone-Russell Simmons #book #daddyknowsbest #father #fatherlesssons #atriskyouth

For a child to experiences the fullness of God's love through people, it is imperative that both parents are present and available, physically and emotionally. A father reflects certain characteristics of our Heavenly Father while a mother reflect an entirely different set of attributes...both help the child to understand love in it's fullness. The Word says that both Adam and Eve were made in God's image (Genesis 1:27)...neither more important than the other but different in the ways in which His image is manifested. To neglect a child of either one of these love experience willingly is a travesty and a crime against them. They are not built to understand adult realities such as abandonment and when forced to, they will reconcile adult realities with limited life experience using brains that are not fully developed. The resulting realities that they create and live within can result in extremely detrimental thought patterns and habits that can devastate their lives far into adulthood. We OWE our children so much more!

What made it worst was the 8 Pledges that they had that Fathers should make. Pledge number 7 "I Will Show Up At Graduation" really struck a nerve for me because it bought back memories and hurt that I thought I had gotten over it. My own father broke this pledge when he called me two days before I gradated High School telling me that he was going to be there. He never showed up of course and I told myself on that day my father was dead to me. Honestly if he had never called telling me that, I would not have even noticed that he wasn't there. The fact that you could take time out of your day just to call me filling my head up with false hopes and promises just really bought me back as a little kid and how you would show up from time to time telling me you would come back to take me out but never showing back up. I would get all dressed up and excited to just to go to my room and wonder why didn't you show up. Long story short, the show basically brought up all these emotions that I have tried my best to conceal and get rid of. I'm grateful for the show in a way because it's a step in the direction but I don't like the fact that I'm sitting here venting my life away about a man who I honestly don't even know. 

Iyanla Vanzant

#FatherlessSons @Oprah @OWNTV @DaddyBuilders