Celebrate and revere the men who strengthen our nation

Now, don’t get me wrong. We should celebrate Father’s Day. But the real issue isn’t that we do it. It’s how little we do it.

One day. Just one day.

Meanwhile, we’ve got entire months — months! — designated for everything from Pride to National Novel Writing Month. Some causes are important, no doubt. But some? Let’s be honest. Some are complete and utter distractions from what really matters — faith and family.

Even though it’s only designated as a single day, Father’s Day is not just an American holiday. Across the world, whether officially celebrated or not, the role of a father is indispensable. It transcends nations, cultures and languages.

You don’t need a government proclamation or a Hallmark card to understand what a father means — and that it’s one of the toughest, most thankless jobs in the world.

The same can be said of mothers, too. But it’s not something you compare to being a mother. That’s the mistake a lot of people make. You don’t rank them. You don’t say, “Well, which one is more important?” It’s like comparing a doctor and an air traffic controller.

They’re both high stakes. They’re both stressful. They both carry enormous responsibility. But they do different things. They save lives, they protect us, and they serve us in various ways.

Mom nurtures. She comforts. She gives the emotional support a child needs to grow.

Dad? He strengthens. He leads. He instructs, disciplines and challenges. He builds the wall and says, “Nothing’s getting through to my kids unless it goes through me first.”

We need both. Not just one. Not a substitution.

Not a patchwork replacement with hashtags and gender-neutral pronouns. We need fathers. Real ones.

The Bible tells us, in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” That’s not a suggestion. That’s a command.

And in the Bible, the father’s role was to be the spiritual head of the household. The provider. The protector. The one who passed down truth, strength and righteousness to the next generation.

That’s not toxic masculinity, folks. That’s biblical masculinity. That’s what every healthy society in human history has recognized as essential (until recent times, that is, but it’s making a comeback).

The Left, of course, has mocked fathers as buffoons in sitcoms, erased them from advertising and dismissed them in school literature as “optional.” And what’s the result?

Higher rates of poverty in fatherless homes.

More crime. Lower educational outcomes. Increased rates of suicide, drug use and incarceration. It turns out that involved fathers lead to thriving children, stronger communities and better futures.

What we need — what America needs — is to stop treating Father’s Day like a day off and start treating it like a national security issue.

Because it is. And there’s no amount of government spending on this program or that entitlement that can replace a father. You can’t replace a father with a touch screen or a pronoun — even though that’s what the woke crowd wants. They want weak men. Silent fathers. Passive providers. But that’s not what this country was built on.

America was built by dads who worked their fingers to the bone, who prayed before every meal, who carried discipline in one hand and compassion in the other. Dads who taught their sons how to be men and showed their daughters what respect looks like.

None of this is said to diminish the importance of the single mom or grandmother trying to be both mother and father. They are the quiet heroes and the unsung warriors whose love and sacrifice will certainly never be forgotten.

So, yes, let’s celebrate Father’s Day. But don’t let it end there. Don’t let it be just a steak dinner and a “Thanks, Dad.” Let it be a revival, a restoration.

Because what this nation needs right now isn’t another month of meaningless causes. It needs a reawakening of fathers — biblical, bold and unashamed.

No, a day is not enough. But for the realt dads, they’ll make it work.

They always do. Happy Father’s Day!

Louis R. Avallone is a Shreveport businessman, attorney and author of “Bright Spots, Big Country, What Makes America Great.” He is also a former aide to U.S. Representative Jim McCrery and editor of The Caddo Republican. His columns have appeared regularly in 318 Forum since 2007. Follow him on Facebook, on Twitter @louisravallone or by e-mail at louisavallone@mac.com, and on American Ground Radio at 101.7FM and 710 AM, weeknights from 6 - 7 p.m., and streaming live on keelnews.com.