A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Nigeria, A Mother’s Love Initiative (AMLi) has advised fathers not to shy away from seeking mental health care when necessary.
AMLi has the aim to safeguard the well-being and future of African children by employing research, advocacy, and psychosocial interventions.
In a statement issued to mark this year’s Father’s Day with the theme “The Father, His Mindset, His Wellbeing,” AMLi’s Founder/Executive Director, Hanatu Enwemadu, stressed the importance of the role of fathers in the family and the society, pointing out that fatherhood is a lifelong responsibility which requires a whole lot as a father gives his very all.
“As we celebrate fathers day in 2023 with the THEME: The Father, His Mindset, His Wellbeing. It is important we bring to mind the need for everyone to seriously take into consideration the mental and general well-being of the men around us.
“According to research fathers need mental health support for their own wellbeing and that of their partners and children.Becoming a father is an extremely important life event for a man. Fathers can experience new emotions, feelings, and changes initiated by the transition into parenthood.
“Research shows that around 10% of new fathers experience depression, and yet there is still little understanding about this let alone appropriate support. Fathers’ mental health matters for many reasons; we need to understand more about how we can help fathers. If we help fathers, we help mothers. If we help them both, we also help their children,” Enwemadu said.
She explained that AMLi carries out advocacy against admitting under-aged children into schools and by extension against the Hurried Child Syndrome.
Enwemadu harped on the need to focus on the mindset and well-being of fathers and men, noting that recent research has shown that when fathers’ mental health declines, so did the quality of their co-parenting relationships.
“Families with fathers who struggle with mental health issues, particularly during early childhood, tend to have children with more difficulties managing their emotions and behaviours. In other words: Fathers affect the quality and stability of the family. It is essential for us to encourage fathers, and all men, to seek mental health care when they are struggling.
“It is important fathers and men know they possess the power to influence great change in their family and even the future generations that come after them. The decisions they make today, positive or negative, are being evaluated by their children. Set the example: ask for help, ask for it; cry if you have to, feelings are real, don’t ignore them, talk to someone; and, you are no less a man for doing so.
“A mentally stable and balanced father or man is a boy-child who wasn’t hurried but allowed to grow and develop through every stage of life,” she said.
Father’s Day is celebrated globally on the third Sunday in June every year to honour fathers and father figures, appreciating them for their role and their sacrifices for the family.
