FATHER'S DAY: Celebrating the pillars of our families

Arafat Haji, Banker

A father is a parent who builds, motivates and encourages his children to do better and aim higher in life. As a Catholic, I believe that the love given by our fathers is the love coming straight from God himself. Therefore fathers should be respected and cherished because through them God’s blessings are passed on to us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, (Psalm 103:13.). When our fathers show compassion, they give us a glimpse into the heart of God. Strong, yet tender, deeply understanding, fiercely loyal, and always ready to help us through the toughest of times.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord,(Ephesians 6:4). Raising a child within acceptable boundaries with God and discipline is not easy. But despite tough moments, a loving father is called upon to be like Jesus – standing firm in the truth, filled with Grace, never critical and demanding.

The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them,( Proverbs 20:7). The actions of a father speak volumes to his children. Even if they can’t articulate it when they are young, they are watching and learning. And even if they won’t admit it when they are older, there is a strong pull to follow in his footsteps. When a father chooses the right path, his family is blessed.

These are words straight from the Bible that tell how powerful a father is to his family and should always try their level best to live up to what God has instructed. To be the pillar of the family and love his wife with the same love God has given us.

As the world celebrates Father’s Day today, some of our readers take this day to show appreciation to their fathers.

Arafat Haji, Banker

Arafat, who is a father himself believes every day is Father’s Day. He says going back home everyday where his children are always eagerly waiting for his return, is an experience that fills him with joy. He calls out to all fathers, to be responsible to their families because the role of a responsible father has no limits. Arafat says everything you do is for the ones who look up to you and need guidance and love so they can be a positive light to the society.

October 25th, 2019, will be exactly five years since his father passed away. “I just want to tell him, thank you for everything you did to raise me. My father invested his time and money into shaping me to into the person I am today and I pray for him every day. Not a single day passes by without thinking about him. May he rest in peace.”

Grace Tendega, Member of Parliament

To Grace Tendega, a Chadema special seats MP representing Iringa Region, a father is an integral member of a family. She says those fathers who are responsible and loving to their families should be respected as such. The legislator says it is sad that this special day is not celebrated as it ought to be in Tanzania and probably in some other countries.

Grace always celebrates Father’s Day by showering her father with gifts and sometimes money. She calls him from time to time to let him know how much he is cherished and also to find out how he is doing. She is very close to her parents and proud of them for managing to stay together this long at a time when a compelling number of marriages are falling apart.

This is what she has to say to him. “My special message to my father is that I still love, honour, respect, value and follow most of his modicum of advice. This is to assure him that his place in my heart is irreplaceable. May the Lord continue to grant him good health and a long life.”

Anganile Thompson, Content producer and presenter

A father of a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter, Anganile, believes that Father’s Day is a good day, which needs to be celebrated always. To him, every day is Father’s Day and therefore, there are no breaks when it comes to being responsible for your children. Anganile tries to instill values such as honesty, confidence and hard work in his children so they can grow up to be capable and honest people.

He calls upon all men to uphold their responsibilities in life. He has observed the emerging trend of single parenting, a crisis which was rare in previous times. African families are changing for the worse given the number of separations and divorces we are witnessing today. Anganile believes that any man out there with a child should see that child as part of his obligations, regardless of the situation that they might be in with the child’s mother. Children are innocent beings and they therefore shouldn’t be the victims of your misunderstandings.

Fatma Subwa, Entrepreneur

Celebrating Father’s Day is a bit of a sour subject for Fatuma who lost her father a few years ago.

However, she says that Father’s Day will always be a good day to remember him because he was one of the best dads that any child could have ever wished for. The best way to remember him is to work hard like he did and follow his lessons on grabbing life by its horns and not to be afraid of anything. She says life is short and when God calls, regrets should be the furthest thought in our minds.

Her message on this special day is to pray for all good fathers out there, who fight and toil for their families. Fatma urges fathers to give themselves up to God, because he is the only guide that we all need. Through our fathers whether alive or dead, blessings are given to the children left to pick up the torch to full prosperity.

Veronica Mgeni, Entrepreneur

Veronica never got the opportunity to finish secondary school because of economic reasons. Despite the misfortune, she had parents who still supported her dreams.

She was brought up in a society that regarded the mother as the only integral person in a child’s upbringing, always loving, selfless and kind. Fathers were seen as the opposite, selfish, always angry and people whose sole purpose was to scare the children into a straight line.

Despite the negative notion she was accustomed to, her attitude towards fatherhood is a sight for sore eyes. She explains that a father who is loving, caring and responsible is not a dying breed. “I have witnessed fathers doing the same things we believed only mothers were capable of doing. I have also witnessed mothers doing things that might leave you struck with dismay.”

She suggests that there is no all good mothers or all bad fathers. That is not how things work. There is a balance and both sides have shown the best and the worst, therefore Father’s Day, like is Mother’s Day is a day that needs to be celebrated with pride and respect even though our nation does not.

Hussein Mvanda, Mechanic

The first born in his family and son to a technician father and an entrepreneur mother from Songea, Hussein believes Father’s Day is important for those families with both parents living together. Talking from his own experience of being a child raised by a single parent, he is a bit reluctant to celebrate a day that reminds him of what he lacked growing up.

However, now that he has reconciled with his father after a long time of separation, he is hopeful their relationship will pick up by the day. He says that people fall and rise again and that what is important is lifting yourself up and keep moving. Reconnecting with his father is the best thing that happened to him and he is optimistic that all will be well.