Minister of Sports and Community Empowerment Charles Griffith has called on fathers across Barbados to move beyond simply providing for their children and instead become active mentors, warning that the island is facing a parenting crisis that requires the involvement of entire communities.
Delivering the feature address at a Father’s Day programme hosted by the Community Development Department in collaboration with Messiah’s House Wesleyan Holiness Church in Massiah Street, St John, yesterday, he said the country’s social challenges could only be addressed if fathers embraced a greater role in shaping the lives of young people.
He reflected on his own journey into parenthood.
“Thirty-six years ago, I became a father for the first time, but I made a conscious decision that I would move from simply being a father to becoming a daddy. There is a difference: a father can bring a child into the world, but a daddy is present, involved and committed to nurturing that child’s growth.
“Today, I want to challenge every father in this room to become that daddy because our children need more than providers; they need guidance, love and leadership.”
The minister also acknowledged the role many women have played in raising children in the absence of fathers, revealing that he himself was raised by his mother and did not meet his biological father until adulthood.
“I was fathered by my mother all of my life and I did not meet my biological father until I was in my 40s. That experience taught me that parenting is about commitment rather than biology. It also reminds us that every caring adult has the power to influence a young person’s life in a positive way.”
Griffith warned that Barbados could not ignore the growing social problems affecting young people, insisting that parents and communities must take greater responsibility before those challenges worsen.
Parenting crisis
“We have reached a point where we must admit that Barbados is facing a parenting crisis. If we fail to mentor our children, then the streets will continue to mentor them and we already know where that can lead. The situation is not beyond repair, but every one of us must be willing to step outside our comfort zones, reach out to a struggling young person and help redirect their path before it is too late.”
The St John Member of Parliament urged residents to look beyond their own households and embrace young people throughout their communities.
“You do not have to wait until a child reaches the end of the tunnel before offering hope. If you have a light, then go into the tunnel and share it with that young person while they are still struggling. Whether it is a conversation, encouragement or mentorship, sometimes just one sentence from a caring adult can change the course of a child’s life. Every one of us has the ability to magnify our impact by investing in the next generation.”
He encouraged fathers to openly express love to their children, particularly their sons, saying many men still struggle to communicate affection.
“Every time my 36-year-old son and I finish a telephone conversation, one of us says, ‘I love you’. Too often we believe that boys should simply know they are loved without hearing the words. That is a mistake. Our sons need to hear those words just as much as our daughters do because expressions of love help build confident, emotionally healthy men.”
Griffith said his years in public service, including his previous portfolio as minister of youth, reinforced his belief that Government programmes alone could not solve the country’s challenges without active parental involvement.
(PR)