Dr Boniface Aniebonam, Founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party says a true father goes through many unspeakable experiences to continue to be a father to his children and wards.
Aniebonam, also the Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) stated this on Monday in a statement he entitled: ” The Burden Of Being A Responsible Father”.
The NNPP founder was speaking against the background of the Father’s Day celebration , held on June 21.
“When a father goes out daily in search of bread for his household, he sustains many mental injuries he does not discuss with his family.
“His wife and children may not be able to stand the pains he goes through if he shares it with them.
“The insults from his boss, the embarrassment from his customers, the harassment from his superiors, yet he can’t quit.”
According to Aniebonam, most times, when a father gets home, he is welcomed with nags and unending requests and gets blamed for not being able to meet up, or for not being able to be like his fellow men.
He said: “Most fathers are rarely appreciated for their struggles and hard work just to keep the family together.
“Some men have secretly dipped their hands in so many things they can’t discuss with their families. Some have stolen, embezzled and borrowed so much that they live in inexpressible guilt everyday.
“A real father can take anything just to keep food on the table for his household.
An adage says ”goat sweats but his hair does not let people see his sweat.
“Many men are sweating but no one is seeing their sweat because they have a car, a house, a job, among other things
“When it comes to celebrating a father, it is done casually . He may not have breasts to breastfeed, yet everyone sucks from his unseen breasts.”
He pointed out that fathers remained using heroes who might not have carried pregnancies for nine months but always pregnant with family needs.
“A good father may not know how labor pain feels but his pains are not physical.
“Tears may not be in his eyes but he bleeds from inside when he has no means to put food on the table for his household.
“His shout, hostility and moods are not premeditated, they are fallout of what he goes through.”
Aniebonam underscored the need to always show appreciation to fathers and understand their need for emotional support to enable them function better.
As he wished Nigerian fathers and others across the globe a happy Father’s Day, Aniebonam sought for proper and better appreciation of what they bring to the table and urged more support from their families to enable them live long. (NAN)
