A Father's Struggle to Raise, Teach & Guide Kids in America Today: What It Means to Be a Positive Male Role Model in 2020 by Carew Papritz (The Cowboy Philosopher)

Father's Day is just around the corner and this celebration reminds us of both the importance and the challenges of fatherhood. From the White House to Hollywood to police officers, there have been a number of instances of moral misconduct involving men in positions of power who are  – or were – considered "role models." It's a heartbreaking reality, especially when children are the prime and most vulnerable witnesses.

Positive male role models are vital to a child's development, now more than ever. We are still surrounded by good men and fathers, but it's our responsibility as parents to teach our kids what a good role model should be. I am the father of an elementary-aged son, and like many men in America, I struggle with raising, teaching and guiding my child given the moral turbulence of the modern world.

With news at our fingertips, it's getting harder to shelter our children from seeing the negativity and bad things that they once thought their role models could never be capable of. This makes it more difficult to properly parent and instill trust with your child when they see police officers, authority figures, politicians and/or actors in the wrong spotlight.

While almost any man can father a child, there is so much more to the important role of being a dad, a father figure or any role model in a child's life. Men are encouraged to be brave, the breadwinners and career oriented, but how can we encourage them to be good role models?

Studies show a positive and close relationship with your father is directly associated with an adolescents' psychological well-being. But the role of fathers has changed so much in the last few generations. So where are the role models? Where do we encourage men to find the strength to be the dads their children really need?

Becoming a man means doing the right thing even though it may be hard or difficult. Boys do what is easiest. A man does what is right, whether easy or not.

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