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A THANKLESS JOB

06/02/2019 03:27:00 The Editor

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Sir,

Single mothers have the hardest job on earth. With limited resources and help, they are charged with the enormous task of ensuring a healthy development of their children.

They need to keep food on the table, a roof over everybody’s head and keep their children away from negativity as best as they can. And it’s often a thankless job.
No one can argue that as a single mother you are doing a great job holding it down well or that you are strong and resilient and that you are doing all that you can to provide a good life for your children.

I know that there are many lonely nights and days where you don’t know how you are going to make it or take it.
I know that it is hard, whether you choose to admit this publicly or not.

I know that you are sacrificing a lot to make sure that your children don’t have to. I know that if your child’s father is not doing right by the children, while you struggle to give them what they need, that sometimes you become a little resentful, even when you say you’re bigger than that. I know that every once in a while as much as you love your children you miss the days when life was carefree.

A father’s role in the natural flow of life is so critical that when he is discounted or missing in action you are left with broken homes, dysfunctional communities and an unhealthy model for fatherhood and manhood.

Exposed

That, to me is what should be exposed and corrected on days like Father’s Day. The ‘good fathers’ shouldn’t be content with receiving gifts and hugs from their children while turning a blind eye to the men who don’t even know how many children they have. Real evil is when the good people do absolutely nothing!

Instead of telling single mothers not to accept acknowledgements for being ‘fathers’, tell absent fathers to man up and be there for their children. Tell irresponsible men to stop fathering children if they have no intention of being parents.

Nomsa