Zimpapers Logo

Andile Tshuma

Nothing beats a father and daughter affair. It’s real love in action. The fights, the celebrations, the expectations, the million rules, the little lies, the gifts, the surprises, the big fallouts, grounding each other, the beatings, proud school and graduation day moments, doctor trips.

Its June again, the month when we go all out to appreciate our fathers and the father figures or male role models in our lives.

However, all this love for these great men should not be just a June affair, we must love them every day and make them feel that they are loved all the time, not only on that special month of the year.

Fathers are great people. Sometimes a little hard to fully understand, but truly wonderful souls.

Our relationships with our dads can sometimes be complicated, but they always mean well and only want the best for us.

Here’s to our fathers, our most honest critiques and our biggest cheer leaders!

Have you ever seen a man’s pride written all over his face when he talks about his daughter, or his son.

When a daughter has made it to the netball team and his travelling with the school team, she is already an Olympics champion in his eyes.

When she comes out top of her class at primary school, she is a professor in his eyes and he most probably has figured out the right profession for her and hopes she will follow hat career path.

When dads buy the little suits and ties for Sabbath best or Sunday best for their little men, you can really see the love in action.

Sometimes, as we undergo bad experiences with some fathers, we tend to assume and believe that all men are the same. But they aren’t.

Let’s respect them for their individuality and let’s appreciate them for their presence in our lives.

We know life is never as beautiful without them. To those that never had the ideal fathers, it is never too late to appreciate the other men that played a fatherly role in your life. It could be the soccer coach at school, the Sunday school teacher, a friend’s father right there in Nkulumane, or the school teacher. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, not all the good deeds have to come from our biological fathers. If they fail us, nature still provides those other fatherly figures to fill that gap.

Happy Fathers’ Day dads, a celebration of the positive value fathers bring to the world, their families and their communities.

So much is said about mothers and celebrating them and their successes and advocating for their rights, often the fathers are forgotten, along with their efforts, their hard work, their sacrifices, their silent struggles, their dreams, their aspirations, their fears. Most of the time, nobody really cares.

Dear dads, for all that you do for your communities and your families. It is noticed and it is appreciated. The younger fathers that stand up for senior citizens in public spaces, those that help strangers expecting nothing in return, those that stand up for bullied children, those that stand up for the rights of women and children. Thank you, we cherish you.

To the fathers who make time for fatherless children or those with absent dads, the universe is watching and will reward you for your effort in playing the father figure to those children, making the world a better place and grooming better fathers for tomorrow’s generation.

To those dads that are silently going through difficult times but will still get home with a smile and carry on through the day, it shall be well. The Covid-19 pandemic has cost so many fathers their incomes and sources of livelihoods yet they still go out and come back home with something for the family.

Dear fathers, well it is not every day that you are told you are special, but you are.

You are our fathers and are our real heroes for all you do.

Here’s to the men that add value to our dreams, our cheer leaders.

Wishing all the fathers, who have been a help to the society and helped raise a child, a very happy father’s day. We can’t dream of a happier nation without you. Zimbabwe is a better place with all of you playing your important roles in your various spheres. Bulawayo is a happier city with you. Homes are warm when you are there.

To the women, remember to wish the father figures in your lives a beautiful father’s day. They deserve it.

On this day, let’s appreciate the beautiful creation of nature. Let’s respect both men and women equally and build a remarkable society for our future generation.

To be a real dad means to know how to face your mistakes, how to forgive, learn to love, and try to help everyone who needs you.

Thanks for the Strength, Support and Love You Constantly Shower on Us.

As a daughter, one of the biggest blessings is a father who is there to believe you, support you and love you and on this Fathers’ Day, I realise that I was blessed with the most amazing father I could ever imagine.

As a young woman, one needs a father who will be there for her, protect her, support her, walk with her, encourage her, work with her to realise her dreams. The father should also cheer her, be her honest critique and inspire her. I am blessed to have one such person in my life, and get to call him father.

On this Fathers’ Day, much love also goes to the deputy parents, our big brothers who have also played fatherly roles in our lives.

As a girl, growing up, it is always special to have a big brother to protect you, guide you and to inspire you. I cannot imagine my childhood without my brother, the deputy parent. We may not always agree on things but I know he has my best interests at heart. Watching him now with a daughter of his own, I am seeing how his relationship with my father shaped the man that he is today.

Happy father’s day to the men that are fighting patriarchy and wanting better opportunities and brighter futures for their daughters. The dads fighting to realise a world of equality so that the girl child can realise her dreams too.

Today we celebrate the fathers who have demonstrated that there is no need for a man to use physical force to show the strength that he carries within him but have shown how to face challenges of life without fear.

Today we also celebrate the fathers who have been ‘monsters before, but have changed and are now a pleasant presence to those around them, your journey towards being better fathers renews hope in humanity.

Let us celebrate the unsung heroes of our daily life and ensure that they know this day exists, for them.

In today’s world, a lot of praise goes to mothers and the celebration of womanhood, shedding light on their struggles and successes, a number of days are there for commemorating women and their struggles, however fewer people mark fathers’ day.

Yet, fathers often sacrifice an arm and leg just to see their families clothed fed and sheltered. Dear dads, we appreciate your efforts, achievements your dreams and your aspirations. For all the little things and the big things you do, we appreciate you. We love you. Keep shining.

A lady’s life principally spins around two genuine characters that hold large noteworthiness in her life, dad and better half.

Fathers you are special, your efforts are appreciated. — @andile_tshuma.