The Man That Rocks the Cradle

I am fairly certain you did a double-take while reading the title of this post and said to yourself either, “Wait! That’s not how it goes...” or “That’s a catchy title...” Or perhaps I pegged you wrong and you did not even notice. In any event, WIlliam Ross Wallace hit the nail right on the head when he penned his timeless poem titled, “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is the Hand That Rules the World.” Here is the first verse:

Blessings on the hand of women!

Angels guard its strength and grace,

In the palace, cottage, hovel,

Oh, no matter where the place;

Would that never storms assailed it,

Rainbows ever gently curled;

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.

It almost goes without saying that his poem was, and remains a masterpiece. Being one who was nurtured by my mother and sister, along with a host of female family friends, I agree wholeheartedly. Women are a blessing from God. God Himself invested plenty of space in the Bible enumerating the positive and powerful roles women played throughout history. Perhaps the most impactful example of this is the blessed mother of Jesus Christ. God could have chosen to miraculously empower the sperm of Joseph and impregnate the woman who would carry Jesus and nurture Him toward His holy calling, but He didn’t. Rather, He chose to miraculously give a virgin woman the awesome responsibility, without intervention of a man.

That being said, then why the pithy blog title? Am I attempting to somehow steal the spotlight from women? No. Am I sulking in my new role as a father saying, “How come she gets to breast feed and I don’t?” Absolutely not! The purpose of this blog title and the essence of the entire blog framework, is to bring to the fore, the reality that for too long, men have been less of a positive factor in the lives of our children than the Good Lord intended. I could cite deadbeat dad and absenteeism statistics here, but they would only detract from the focus of this entry. My goal is to rally the troops, so-to-speak, of responsible fathers to join hands with the mothers of the world in bringing the male nurturing tools to the table for our girls and boys.

How many times have you seen programs on the Oprah Winfrey Show or some other news documentary of horrific acts that young girls have performed due to a lack of a positive male role model in the home? How many times have you read of boys abusing women, because they were not able to see their own fathers treat their mothers with dignity and respect? How many times have you heard the embittered cries of women against the entire male population, because their fathers, husbands, and baby-daddys chose not to accept the God-given responsibility of protecting and uplifting the women and children into whose care He has placed them?

So, if I have not made a clear enough point of it here, let me be abundantly clear now, I am launching a literary conscience surrounding the issues of responsible fatherhood. I do not flatter myself to be an expert on the subject, but I am aware of the fact that I do have eyes and experiences upon which to draw something meaningful. Even though I am an author of Christian books, this is not going to be an overtly religious blog. In it, you will find jovial and sobering entries. Hopefully, no matter the method of writing I choose, you will find encouragement.

In closing, the man that rocks the cradle simply joins his strength with hers and does his level-best to develop well-nurtured, kind, thoughtful, and whole children to be model citizens in societies all around this world, and in the world to come.

Let the fun begin! Next entry:  If the Shoe Don’t Fit, Please Take it Off