Fatherhood is the state of being a father. A person becomes a father when someone whom they have impregnated gives birth to the child. The shorthand or slang word is dad.
Being a good dad is synonymous with having good fatherhood characteristics. Often this means to have a loving and caring relationship with your children. It may mean being willing to learn with your kids. It is also important to be open and honest in the conversations you have with them. It’s about teaching your children good manners, values, and ethics. Often this is done through example rather than speech.
Fatherhood may also frequently refer to a fatherhood initiative. Depending on the source, this often means to get dads to step up. The is often defined as taking a more active role in parenting their children.
The U.S. government has engaged in a fatherhood initiative for many years. Outwardly, it is to get fathers more involved in raising their children. However, many people have criticized the initiative. They claiming that all it really cares about is for fathers to pay their child support. Some people have gone as far as to say it is a form of entrapment. They believe it is just to get men to pay child support.
In some cultures, fatherhood means to teach your male son how to be a man. Historically, this meant teaching your male son how to be a warrior. Or how to hunt and help provide for the tribe. In more current times, this may often mean teaching your son to stand up for themselves and to fight back rather than being a coward. It means to be strong rather than weak, both physically and emotionally. It may also mean encouraging the males to breed with females to produce offspring.
Fatherhood with a female child is less structured. Typically it is thought that the female children are to be nurtured by the female parent. It is believed this will teach them to be feminine.
Please remember that this article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be or substitute for legal advice. Please contact Fathers for Equal Rights and consult with an attorney there or elsewhere for legal advice.
