Hey ladies,

It's seriously been a while since I found time and inspiration to enter the Ladies of Hive contest. And believe me, that's not because I wouldn't want to before, but so many things have happened again that I've been very busy with. I lacked the time and inspiration to also think about a blog. It is what it is, but this week I really couldn't pass up when I saw the questions. My father left earthly life in 2005, but I still carry him with me every day in my thoughts. I will never forget his wise lessons and strong character. And yes, of course I hope that if there is such a thing as an afterlife, that he can enjoy it there again with mom, and from there watches over us here and is proud of us.

So now on to the questions from this week.

1️⃣ A Fathers Recognition Day will be celebrated in some parts of the world later this month. With the changing perception of gender roles in our modern societies, how would you define the roles and responsibilities of fathers? And why do you define them that way?

AND/OR ~

2️⃣ If you had a beloved "father figure" in your life (father, grandfather, uncle, family friend, employer, etc.) and would like to recognize them with a story, we'd love to hear about it!

Every day is a Fathers Day

Fathers Day is celebrated in the Netherlands on Sunday 18 June, although I think it was a commercially conceived day, because in my mind every day it is a good day for a Father's Day or Mother's Day. Every day you should feel the appreciation for your parents. 💘. Anyway, we did celebrate these days at home, but especially with some small gifts. At first it was always something we made in class at school, later it became a box of aftershave or something. And I know that my father appreciated this gesture, which of course felt good.

I now see around me that fathers are much more involved in raising their children these days. What I know from stories, and what I have seen myself for years afterwards, was different at first. But today's fathers prepare the bottle for the baby, and don't shy away from giving the bottle either. If a mother cannot or does not want to breastfeed, she certainly no longer has to carry the food alone. Fathers today don't mind changing the baby's diaper. And raising children is happening more together than before. I can only say that I think it is a very good development, but it seems to me that this was born more out of necessity. Nowadays, fathers and mothers are jointly responsible for income, where in the past the father was usually the breadwinner, and the mother stayed home with the children. The latter is no longer financially possible for 99% of families. And this change has contributed to the fact that fathers, just like mothers, are now much more involved with the upbringing and care of the children after their working hours.

I find it difficult to really define a role, and if I have to do it anyway, I would say that it has become more and more equal rights, equal duties, so take responsibility for your children together!

My father was the breadwinner for the family

My father was a just father, who was more absent than present in our youth. He just worked, during the day for his boss, and in the evening he had various addresses to do odd jobs. But when he was home, he was really present, not in a wrong or dominant way, but you knew he was there. He made sure he knew what was going on in the household and we also knew very well that we couldn't speak loudly to him, as we sometimes did to our mother, who had a much nicer character. Sometimes too sweet!

^{some pictures of our father}

Grandfather

The second father figure in my life was my grandfather, on my mother's side. This was a very sweet, gentle, kind man, with an angelic patience. When we were younger, he worked in the deer park in our area, so we came there very often and gladly. Watching and feeding deer, watching monkeys and 1 day we were allowed into the monkey cage, and not everyone was allowed that! It will be a less pleasant memory for my sister @hetty-rowan, because 1 of the monkeys took her glasses and didn't want to give them back. But in general these were very nice and educational trips with grandpa.

^grandparents

Of course I have many more memories of both, but it would really go too far to write all those memories here. I'm not such a good writer, but I really enjoyed writing this blog because of the good questions. That often makes it inviting for me to think a little deeper, let my thoughts flow and yet again throw a blog online. And the latter, that's something I never even expected I could do!

Thank you Ladies Of Hive for your endless inspiration.