Fatherhood: Are You Man Enough?

Fatherhood: Are you man enough?

Do you know that the Department of Justice stated that sixty-three percent of youth suicides are from fatherless homes? While in rare cases, some children were left fatherless from young deaths, others were left behind because the man was not mature enough. To be a father, you have to be an adult, you can't have one without the other. Others are too selfish. Being a father means changing your perspective from yourself to someone else. But for those man enough, you get something amazing. You will get an unconditional love for doing the simplest of things: loving and caring for your child.

Fatherhood consists of adulthood; you can't have one without the other. You have to sacrifice your freedom and childhood dreams, to become a father for the rest of your life. No matter how old you are, you are forced into adulthood because of the responsibilities you have. Whether you are or are not with the mother, you must be mature to work as a team instead of at each other's throats. Fatherhood takes a lot out of one's day, and if you are not man enough to handle all the tasks that lie ahead of you, then you might as well not call yourself a father. Father's take a lot of duty on their shoulders and have to make sure they do the right thing and not wonder a few years later or even months later, if they did the right thing. You need to know right then and there if you are making your son or daughter happy, and making them the best that they can be.

Fatherhood also consists of selflessness; being a father changes your own self-reflecting perspective to someone else. Giving up outings to spend quality time with the child or family, may seem unreasonable to those without children, but to dedicated fathers it is an outing with your family that is more enjoyable. There may be times where you want to go out and have a good time with your friends, but you also learn to consider what your child or family wants to do as well. Losing sleep to make sure you give a sick child all that they need is definitely hard but when they are better, you will not miss those hours of sleep. You may be tired and grumpy, but making sure that the child is healthy is more important than a few hours of sleep. Also, instead of buying that fifty dollar shirt you want, buying clothes, shoes, or diapers your child needs is more important, and also the right thing to do. Having to get up at odd hours of the night to feed the baby or to nourish him or her when they are sick or have a tummy ache, takes true responsibility. You have to make yourself get out of bed and go tend to your child, so that you can make them happy, so you can go back to sleep for the next day that lies ahead.

The last thing to consider about fatherhood is the unconditional love. No matter what happens in your life, your baby will always love you and you will always love them. There may be times where he or

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