Yesterday, 19th March we celebrated Father’s Day with our loved ones.
This day is a time of celebration for our fathers, grandfathers and other family members and friends, but it can also be considered a day of reflection. What makes a father a father? Is it just a blood bond or is there a much stronger bond?
Today there are many types of families beyond the traditional model: two-father families, single fathers, fathers of furry children, adoptive fathers or stepfathers, to name a few. We often see friends or other family members as a father rather than a blood relation. So how might we define a father?
At Libros de las Malas Compañías (Bad Companies Books) we believe that a father is humble, an anti-hero, one who helps and cares for others, one who banishes revenge and seeks to improve his relationships with both men and women; some readers may be familiar with this description as one of the main characters in our books extols all these values. He is Ceniciento (The Ash Lad) who, despite not being a father, can teach many men to know themselves and to discover very important values.
The Ash Lad is an example to follow, even though he is not too ambitious or competitive, he helps others when they need it and does not hold grudges because others want to see him fail. In his adventures, this young man teaches us that there is not only one way to be a man. In the old days, a real man was considered strong, who had to overcome others and solve all problems, always keeping his "manly honour". With this story, we learn that just because someone is a man does not make him superior, nor does it make him less responsible for taking care of his family or his friends.
Just as the traditional family has changed, so has the way we view masculinity. A father can (and should) be involved in caring for his family, can develop healthy ways of relating to men and women without competition and is an example for future generations.
If you are curious to know more about Cinderella you can find in our blog an article about how this book shows us another way of being a man.
Everyone deserves a father figure who supports them and loves them unconditionally and on this Father's Day, we congratulate all those fathers who love their families and friends. We congratulate fathers who have raised their children, be they human or animal. We congratulate the fathers who have made themselves and those who are learning to better themselves.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad!
María Brea Gutiérrez.
