Fathers – Protect, Provide and Present
Recently I borrowed a book for Samuel, on a Seahorse father, and other fathers he met while he was carrying his babies. I must have known it, but reading the book reminded me again, that Seahorse fathers are the ones who carry the babies to term. Apparently, the father will carry the baby for about 30 days, become more and more unsociable as the babies grow and experience contractions before the babies burst forth!
From the very interesting children’s book, Samuel and I learned that for many other fishes, it is mainly the father who cares for the eggs/babies:-
The stickleback, tilapia (the species that does ‘mouth-brooding’, where the father carries the eggs in his mouth, is called the S. melanotheron, the black-chinned tilapia of West African brackish waters), Kurtus nurseryfish (sorry it is rather technical – it was the only content I could find on a website), pipefish, bullhead catfish.
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| The pipefish! |
Interestingly, however, the author – Eric Carle of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ fame – dedicated this book to his mother. This is not to say that he did not honour his father, because according to him at his website:-
When I was a small boy, my father would take me on walks across meadows and through woods. He would lift a stone or peel back the bark of a tree and show me the living things that scurried about. He’d tell me about the life cycles of this or that small creature and then he would carefully put the little creature back into its home. I think in my books I honor my father by writing about small living things. And in a way I recapture those happy times.
The fathering movement is gaining traction in Singapore. I visit the Dads for Life website once in a while, and am always impressed with the amount of resources and work put in, to help fathers to be an influence in their children’s lives.
The latest fathering event must be the screening of ‘Courageous’ at Cathay cineplex. Here is the preview. I was so moved.
My husband and I will go and watch it. My husband is already a big hero in my sons’ eyes, and we intend to keep it that way for the rest of their lives. In the flood of work and studies in our pursuit for a better life, we easily forget. Thank you, to all the people who continue to remind and inspire us to live for the more important things in life. ~ Elisa.
