Talking about family and absent fathers

• May 31, 2012 | Lindy Harris

If you can, read Lucy Holbourn in The City Press today (Broken families, broken morals.) It is a really well written piece on the important of stable family life and the roles fathers play in the successful upbringing of children.

I wish parents knew how important they both are in children’s lives – perhaps men would feel more important and more motivated to stay in their children lives and nurturing their relationships with the mothers of their children if they did.

And perhaps mothers might also put more effort into the maintenance of their relationships with their children’s fathers... it is not a one way street. I know that in South Africa many fathers were robbed of family life by migrant labour and the pass laws.

And this made them feel less important in their children’s lives – a feeling that has become self-perpetuating unfortunately.

Several men I know have said how grateful they have been to their wives that they have put effort into allowing them to take part in the care of their small babies – that it was hard – but it made their relationship with their children so much deeper, rewarding and satisfying.

Viva involved fathers, Viva!