For The Fathers

They say being a housewife is the most thankless job. They say being a woman is the most depressing work. They say being a mother is the toughest task there can be. They say behind every successful man, there is a woman. Agreed. But there is a flip side to each of these. We celebrate Mother’s day, we celebrate Women’s day, but rarely anyone gives any attention to the Father in the family. The pillar that binds the family together. The man who teaches how to live lives to the fullest. Each family might have different situations. In some a child might be blessed with a mother who acts like a father. In some there might be some other messenger of God that takes the responsibility of the child. In a few, the God itself comes down to take care of its children. But, the families who are blessed with both parents must understand the importance of the presence of one another in their lives.

In today’s time there are ample number of families that have both the parents working. There might also be a few with stay-at-home fathers. But irrespective of what the occupation of a father is, the importance of a father in one’s life does not change much. For many people a father is one of the strongest and most influential image in one’s lives. We hear about so many girls having “Daddy issues”, but rarely any boy who has “Mommy issues”. (This was a bad joke).

Father’s day will be observed on June 16, this year in India. It celebrates fatherhood, something which is infamous for not being there for most of the childhood, for concentrating more on work than family or for being stone-hearted or not emotional. These prejudices and stereotypes are still attached to fatherhood and perhaps are the fundamental reason why most people don’t even know that father’s day exists. I did a random survey involving about 50 people in my locality, out of which almost 20% did not know that father’s day exists and 80% didn’t know that when will it fall this year. That made me think that this job might just need a little more appreciation than it receives. So here it goes -

Father, is a heavy word to say,
Even Heavier, to live up to!
Father, who taught me to find my way,
Even when I had lost all hopes!

He has always been a role model,
He has always been an inspiration!
He has always been the teddy to cuddle,
He has also been the tough one to know!

He sacrificed his happiness,
And put my demands first!
He smiled when I did,
He taught me to trust.

Girls like to be Daddy’s little Girl,
And Guys want to become like him!
Mother’s want his support all throughout,
He is the player who always lets you win!

I do not want to become like my father,
I can never be!
I just want to understand the love he has,
And how he did all this for me!

Probably it’s too soon to ask,
To understand his deeds!
But the day I do,
I would want he reads.

I want to love like you,
I want to be the person you want me to become!
I will never be able to return your teachings,
But I would love to have begun!

Thanks for being there in all ups and downs,
Thanks for supporting, even when you had frowns!
Thanks for understanding, each mistake, each step…
You are a wonderful dad, the best one can get!