Rose Pavlov: Honoring Fathers Who Rock
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Rose Pavlov, GoLocalWorcester Child Expert
Forgiveness: Experiencing the waves of life’s lessons and its according imperfections, my father unconditionally exercises forgiveness towards me, others, and most of all, to himself. My father gives himself the permission to be human and assures me it is okay to do the same.
Appreciation: My father always conveys appreciation towards me and others around him. He exercises gratitude daily through words and by deeds.
Time: My father has always made himself available to me. He created rituals that shaped our family life. My childhood and adulthood is full of warm recollections of laughter, love and learning.
Humor: My father’s quirky charm and humor are things that I have grown to appreciate over time. He taught me the power of laughter and of its generous impact on others.
Education: My father is an excellent teacher. Not only was he an academic by profession, but also he seized each and every opportunity to teach me to be a good human being.
Respect: My father respects everyone who crosses his path but also he taught me to respect myself.
I dedicate this column in celebration of Father’s Day to my dear father, Felix (Rajan), whom I call “Acha” in my native South Indian language of Malayalam, and to all the paternal rocks who remain steadfast in their wholehearted love for their families. The paternal rocks that embrace their role as protectors and providers by shielding their families with strength, faith and unconditional care and support. The paternal rocks that model manhood in their brothers, sons, nephews and grandsons, and those who extend themselves into their communities as teachers, coaches and mentors.
However, the sad reality of our country is a growing culture of fatherlessness. As President Obama shared in his popular Father’s Day message, “children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty; nine times more likely to drop out of school and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception…that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child - it's the courage to raise one.”
Happy Father’s Day to all the paternal rocks who have gotten it right and do right by their families each day.
Rose Pavlov is a cross-cultural positive child specialist and founder of Ivy Child International.
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