All too often, we hear the stories of black men, old and young, who abandon their children, leaving the mothers to raise kids on their own. Many times, men don’t take the responsibility of being fathers because they didn’t have one of their own. This unfortunately is destructive reasoning and a vicious cycle that does not have to continue.

No matter how old or young your children are, give them the gift of having a father in their lives. It doesn’t cost anything except time and love and you don’t have to fight the holiday crowds to find it in the malls. Maybe it doesn’t seem like a lot, but in the grander scheme, it can ultimately be the best gift you give. You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to try.

Our children, especially the boys, need men in their lives to look up to, to be role models, to influence them positively and show them what it means to be a man. They need you to be responsible so that when they grow up, they won’t make the same mistakes that your fathers and their fathers made. You can create a new cycle, one of positive, strong, responsible black men – black fathers.

Fatherhood isn’t something that should be feared; rather it should be embraced because that is your legacy being passed on to future generations. History tells tales of the accomplishments of ancient Egyptians, the cultures of Africa, the resilience and determination of our enslaved African-American ancestors. What do you want history to say about you?