Mirror honors fathers, fatherhood

Sunday is Father’s Day and a wide variety of events are available in Moberly to help Dad have a great day.

There are all kinds of fathers. Some fathers aren’t fathers at all but grandparents helping to raise their grandchildren, uncles providing a father figure for a sister’s children, stepfathers, adopted fathers, and some are just friends who play an important role in the lives of a child. Anyone providing a positive influence in the life of a child, no matter the age of the child, is deserving of respect and honor on this special day. Be sure to let your dad know you love him and appreciate all he has done for you. You might feel a little awkward getting so mushy but the day will come when you will wish you had more time to talk and do things together. Do that now for none of us is guaranteed another day.

The Mirror staff was asked to write of their fathers. This is what they have to offer.

Liz Morales

While listening to her preacher’s sermon on Mother’s Day, commemorating Mothers, in 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea of having the same holiday, but for Fathers. Dodd was raised by her father, as her mother died when Sonora was a young child, so Sonora knew exactly how special her father was to her, after all the sacrifices and hard work he had put into her development. Since her father was born in June, Dodd decided to reserve June as the month set aside just for fathers all over the world. Thus, on the 19th of June, 1910 in Spokane, Washington, the first Father’s Day celebration took place.

My father, Roy Morales, would enjoy this information about how Father’s Day came about because he has always been interested in history. Growing up, my dad would explain the histories of the dynasties in China, the aboriginal tribes in Australia, and what fascinated me most was how he could keep his Kings and Queens of England straight. All of this information served as very interesting conversations.

My dad is a teacher at Westran High School and has been for at least 8 years now. All of his students love him and it’s very easy to see why. Dad puts his heart and soul into everything he does. Every story he tells, every lesson he teaches. He also cares very much for the people around him, which makes being in my father’s presence very comforting and reassuring. He will listen to all of your problems with a completely open heart, he will offer advice and sometimes even guide you to the right solution.

I believe to be the perfect parent, you first have to be a perfect teacher. This explains my father perfectly. My dad will always be number one in my heart. I wish him the best Father’s Day!

Megan Bradley

A Father is someone that is strong but kind, Tough but gentle. Fathers are the rock that daughter can run to when they need protection, and a mentor for sons as they are growing from a boy to a man. A Father is a very important part of any child’s life. Everyone has a father, or at least a father figure, in their lives. They could be a grandfather or a family friend.

Father’s Day is around the corner. I started to think about my father and the other person in my life that I call dad. I always thought it would be difficult to have two dads in my life, especially ones that don’t get along well. But they both always seem to come around when I need them. I feel blessed to have two fathers in my life. Some people do not get the chance to even have one.

I have so many memories of both my fathers. My favorite one though is of my wedding day. I wanted to share that day with both of them. I was so scared they wouldn’t get along or not enjoy the day the way they should. But when it came time to head to the alter they both smiled with joy as we walked. They even talked to each other after the wedding.

I love both of my dads. I know now that having two dads just means that I have twice the love and protection. As Father’s Day is steadily approaching, think of your fathers. What is your favorite time with your father? Don’t forget to say I love you on Fathers Day.

Roy Morales

As we approach Father’s Day this tenth year of the twenty-first century, let’s reflect on what has transpired in almost 100 years since this became a day set aside to honor fathers.

There was a trend in the mid 1970s and even a bit earlier, where the whole idea that a father was needed to complete a family. Now, some 40 to 50 years have gone by and we see all types of issues related to the lack of a father or positive male figure in the early and middling years of children. Psychologists and sociologists, as well as other social scientists, have finally come back to the fact that a whole family needs a father.

What seems to be needed is a guidance that is not always available in a single parent household. Why is a father important? There are many things that are needed, especially in the growing process that will be left out if there isn’t some form of positive male influence in the child’s life. How does a young man learn how to properly treat a young lady. He needs to see this behavior modeled by his father. How does a young lady understand what a true gentleman is unless she sees that modeled by her father?

Now before the cards and letters begin to come in, yes I, too, have made my mistakes, but I have tried to model behavior that shows respect, both to my wife, the mother of our daughter, and to our daughter. If we respect each other, if we show that we love and try to understand each other, this is the beginning of a long and positive relationship, one that can last generations.

Think of the legacy that you want to leave behind. Is it a great building, a small fortune, a life-saving invention? Well, it could be any of those things, but how about a long term and enduring legacy, that of being a great, loving, understanding, supportive father. A father who was there when no one else was, a father who held you close to his chest when you were so afraid, a father who let you know that you were better than that person who dropped you so cruelly. These are memories that you will never forget. And most importantly your children will never forget.

This Father’s Day, let us take time to remember our fathers, whether they are still here or have gone on before us. Let us remember the good that they tried to impart to us.

Happy Father’s Day…Pop, I love you.