Fathers

I’m in bed still awake at this ungodly hour dearly missing someone’s daughter and fantasizing a happily ever after kind of life with our 2 children (but if God blesses us with triplets, who am I, oh sorry, who are we to refuse?). One day, more like very soon, someone or 2 or even 3 will call me Dad, Papa, Paps, Baba, Daddy (Hold up. This one I will not accept. You see it is only meant for use by……NVM) or whatever other related name.

These 2 or more small pikins upon being teenagers will use some weird kind of names while referring to me. Mzae, Buda, Bazenga, Mbuyu, Big Man Bazu, Fathela and others that will be trending in a few years to come.

Now, to you mysterious daughter of someone; Mathe, Mukuru, Matha and others should not surprise you. As I think of this, I laugh. Me, who downs 20 slices of Selecta Bread alone with just a cup of hot chocolate, but still lighter than a bag of cement, a father. Hahaha! Did I mention that a whole loaf of Selecta or 7 Stars bread has 20 slices? Now you know. Anyway, in the good book, God says to the children of Israel, ‘I will do to you, the very things I heard you say.’ I choose to replace the words children of Israel with my name.

What is the role of a father in a child’s life? Tough question. According to a survey conducted by yours truly, quite a large number of my male friends who are privileged to have their fathers around do not get along with them. The same survey further reveals that a huge percentage of my female friends easily get along with their fathers especially the last borns. Could be wrong though.

Tell a person to describe who a father is and the common answer will be a father is someone who will come to your school on visiting day empty handed except for a newspaper well folded and placed under his armpit. This description is funny and sad at the same time. A friend of mine once told me of how upon passing her class 8 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam, she informed her father of the great news and the father was like, ‘I thought you are in class 5 going to class 6 next year?’ She was speechless. I have seen friends trying to call their fathers just maybe to wish them a Happy Birthday but the phones are not picked. Minutes later, a mobile money alert comes in that they have received money usually a huge amount. This may seem great but then, there are things that money can never buy such as a parent’s love.

A lot of people have sad stories to write home about their fathers. Some have never known them. We have seen others having been abandoned by their fathers only for them to resurface when the child grows up to be successful. For some, the cruel hand of death robbed them of their parent. May they continue resting in peace. Others may have suffered cruelty in the hand of their fathers, step fathers, uncles or other father figure. Any male can sire a child but a real father will be directly involved in the upbringing of the child.

It is not all gloom. Responsible fathers still exist. They sacrifice a lot to give their children the best. They will walk in the same pair of shoes everyday for their children to have good shoes. To cater for their children’s basic needs, they work hard day and on night. Fathers involved in each ad every step of their children’s growth, failure, disappointment and success. Emotionally, they are there for their children offering all kind of support, moral and even spiritual. Time is dedicated from their busy schedule to spend with their children.

These responsible fathers are the ones we celebrate on this day. May God bless them abundantly. We wish them all a Happy Father’s Day. If you are privileged enough to still have your father around, kindly wish him a Happy Father’s Day, do not just post him on social media. For those who are not in good terms, kindly seek ways to mend the broken relationship. If this is not possible, please do not despise him. Do not disrespect him. Read Ephesians 6:1 and get to familiarize yourself with the 4th commandment. For those whose fathers are deceased, try to remember the impact he made in your life and be greatful. Also remember to appreciate other father figures in your life; could be your grandpa, brother, uncle or anyone else more so to those who may not have had a chance to know who their fathers were. To the single fathers single handedly raising their kids, may God grant you grace.

Happy Father’s Day to you all. Keep safe, sanitize, observe social distancing and wear a mask when going out. Enough for today, let me now go back to missing her in peace as I ponder on how hard I will work to pay the required dowry for such a Mali safi.

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