In 2006, a remote campaign began as a trickling awareness and quickly grew into a global cascade that blew the whistle on sexual abuse and harassment against women in the workplace. The #Me Too Movement pointed a flashlight at those dark crevices where another expression of human rights violations was being played out. As a result, while long-overdue conversations—along with the release of pent-up emotions—liberated many sufferers, effective statutes were put in place to protect would-be victims going forward.
As my new book Father Away From Me has recently been published, I am somewhat amazed by the frequent conversations spewing forth from men and women who have either carried the weight of despair from growing up without a father’s presence in the home, or know of others who have. In almost every case, folks are sharing details like you wouldn’t believe! There’s a lot of pain out there, and it appears that people want to talk about it and be delivered from it.
What pleases me is that there’s an assortment of areas this topic covers: The void that is left by not having dad in the picture is an open wound that needs healing. The gift of forgiveness is crucial and is more beneficial to the person extending it, more than to the one receiving it. Being a role model for boys and mentoring young men is a way of being proactive in the battle against unplanned pregnancies down the road, which often leads to abandonment because the thought of marriage and family is often not a consideration at the time of intimacy.
As it pertains to girls, the importance of a daddy-daughter relationship is vital. It involves being an example of the warmth and integrity his daughter should seek in a man when she begins to consider a husband for herself and a father for her children. An awareness of the residual effects that a person might have been carrying around for a long time can only help with understanding their plight. It also calls attention to what they might need in order o recognize and overcome their struggle. It's important to understand the appreciation for fatherhood itself, along with the blessing it is to be able to sire children.
Could it be that this book is becoming a pot-stirring excursion? Might its timing be sort of providential? Only time will tell. What I do know is that my experience is not exclusively mine. The details of my story aren’t always going to match someone else's who has lived through a similar script. Also, the degree of pain is sure to vary from one person to another. Still, it’s clear to me that something is happening behind the curtain of this episode, and it’s not my imagination. Perhaps the idea of a greater number of dedicated dads will soon go viral and make its contribution to the type of relationship many children are longing for. But, for now, there's much work to be done!
