Category Archives: Parenting

 ⁶“He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

 -Malachi 4:6-

Mothers’ Day has come and gone, but my attention is now directed to a personal vendetta.  The Andy Griffith father-figure is dead, and apparently father does not know best anymore.  The media has declared war on fatherhood.

What is my source you ask?  All we have to do is watch the flashing box that sits in front of us all day, every day, and see what it is teaching our children about fatherhood.  When I offer biblical guidance on the subject of marriage, I ask the couple to go home and watch a few sitcoms about families and report back what they see in regards to the spousal relationship and the parental relationship.  This is easy.

Many times when they come back the next week, they are surprised that so many of the shows follow such similar formats.  The mother is often the wise, hardworking woman who is climbing the corporate ladder and managing the home.  The father, on the other hand, is often caricatured as a dimwitted buffoon, more boy than man, who is like an extra child the mother must care for.  It is often his shenanigans that form the plot as he plods around like a duffus while the children are embarrassed of him and his wife is exasperated.  And that’s from the shows that even have a dad or parents at all.

It doesn’t get much better in so-called ”children’s/tween” programming.  Am I the only one that notices that there are no parents on Disney or Nickelodeon?  And when there are, they are often given a cameo because they are too busy or disinterested to be part of the children’s lives.  Even in one of my favorites, “Phineas and Ferb”, a recent episode portrayed Dr. Doofenshmirtz as a dingbat father who has apparently lost his daughter to his non-dingbat wife.

This theme continues onto the big screen as well.  Take Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” for example.  True, there is the theme of a loving father trying to protect his daughter, but it is accompanied by an undertone of bigotry that poor Ariel’s father just can’t understand her love for the human.

Now I realize that some of you may be saying that I’ve gone nuts.  And I’ll agree with you that not every single show or children’s movie is like this, but that is exactly my point.  We cannot just turn on a television and allow it to hypnotize our children.  We must be proactive and know what themes are presented, and, as crazy as this sounds, BE PARENTS.

I honestly don’t know if the media is simply portraying the culture it sees (art imitating life), or acting as a ‘pied piper’ and leading us astray, but what I do know, is that I am insulted that so many could reduce the role of the father, my calling, my gift, and my role given by God,  in the home to the weekly punchline.

See for yourself.  Watch the programs with a critical eye.  I am convinced that you will begin to understand why even your young child is so full of rebellion and disrespecting Dad.

Prayer Application

Father, thank You for the gift of parenthood.  That You would intrust us to care for children that You have fearfully and wonderfully made, that You have knit in the womb, and that are created in Your very image, is such a very humbling and awesome responsiblity and privilege.  Teach me to be the father that You desire for me to be.  Help me to be worthy of my children’s honor, respect, and love.  Help me to discipline with care and instruct in wisdom.  Help me to be mindful of the things I allow this world to teach them.  Help me to father to them, as You are to me.

-Amen-