"Honor Thy Father: Key Principles and Practices in Fathering"

Chapter 13 talks about a father’s role in the family as the provider. In the conclusion of this chapter it states that, “Fathers have the ability, for good or ill, to exercise great power and influence in the lives of their children and families. Power alone, however is not what a father truly needs, nor does he need only the ability to influence and direct a child’s life, thoughts and feelings. A father needs the power to bless, which might be called “power in righteousness” (Hawkins, Dollahite, & Draper, p. 147). I spoke with fathers about how they felt having that responsibility to reside over their families in righteousness. They felt a great deal of responsibility for the well being of their families and expressed that it can be overwhelming at times, so it’s important to have the spirit helping and guiding them. Aside from that thought, many of the men I spoke with found a lot of pleasure in being able to provide for their families and enjoy making sure they are taken care of.

"I feel a great deal of pressure and responsibility knowing that I need to be an example to my daughter. And I find it especially hard because I'm not with my daughter all of the time. I only get to see her about four weekends out of the whole year. I get pretty anxious sometimes thinking about how I don't get to be there with her all of the time and that she is being raised not in the way I'd like her to be. It makes me try to enjoy every moment I do get to spend with her and I try my best to show her what it's like to live a righteous life. I want her to know that even though I'm not with her physically all the time, I am always thinking of her. And even though things are bad between her mom and I, I still love her and want what's best for her. So yeah, I guess you could say being a dad is hard. It's scary. I was young when my daughter was born, and unmarried, and I was terrified. But, I think as long as I'm trying to do what Heavenly Father wants me to do, I can bless her and her life through my righteous actions. That gives me some comfort." 

"I love being a dad! When my wife and I found out she was pregnant I was ecstatic. And now that our son is almost two, I love being a dad even more! At times it can be hard, obviously, you feel a lot of responsibility for raising your kids, but really I just think it's fun. I love every minute of it!"