By Shivani Pai

Mangaluru, Jun 16: Sometimes they are stern and sometimes sensitive. A multifaceted set of emotions can be expected even from the strongest person of the family unit. Fathers strive for the well being of their children. They are not just the providers but take up different roles, similar to the mother. They are the first ones to rise in times when the family is in distress and many times are role models for their young ones.

Financial to emotional supporter

It is interesting to note that that until the 1970s, the role of the father was limited to being the financial supporter, while the emotional needs were catered by the mother. Fathers were forbidden to break down and expected to stay strong to support their family. However today the fathers are challenging conventional ideas of parenthood, and are emotional anchors for their children.

It is to recognise this unconditional love and sacrifice, every third Sunday of June is celebrated as Father’s day around the world. This year it falls on June 16.

Fathers are not discriminated from the type of background they belong. This day is the celebration for all those men who have stepped into the shoes of being a father and tried their best to be good at it. It is for all those dads who are breaking societal barriers, to all those breaking their backs to provide for their family. One could be a single dad, a stay-at-home dad, a foster dad or even a gay dad, but deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged, not only today, but every day.

Single parent situation

The acceptable family standard in society is the presence of both a father and a mother. So what happens when one of the key elements in this regard, ceases to exist? The family will keep going with the father assuming both the roles.

Such fathers carry the torch of being a father and a mother to the kid. From the time their kids are tiny little tykes to the time when they graduate or are married off, dads end up assuming the role of a caretaker and a provider.

At times, they even face the brunt of the society for failing to keep their kids in check. One must be thankful for the roles a father plays in a child’s life, which is far beyond what society thinks of him. These dads are not competing to be perfect, but they are only aiming to give absolute love and support to their children.

Being Thankful

One could list several reasons to be thankful to dads, some of them being:

For working hard and providing for the family

For inspiring and motivating their child to follow their dreams

For standing beside their children in times of need

For giving their share of food

For being protective

For dealing with their child’s tantrums

For being selfless

For sponsoring the shopping

For giving their time and most of all for always being there for their child

And many more such things

Dads are a unique and can surprise you. They shape you to be a good human being. Dads are special and deserve a little extra love than what they usually get. They never want an award for this. All they want is, you to be an exceptional human being who carries all their values and morals. It is not today you make them feel special, being a dad is a 24/7*365 days a year kind of a job. They never stop to be there for us, so neither should us. Celebrate this day with your superman, take him around, do what he loves. Rejoice this day with big smiles all day.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads of the world.