Father’s Day has come and gone and consensus in the BU household is that the sentiment felt continues to lag what prevails Mother’s Day. We are certain that the socialization which occurs between the ‘sexes’ creates a unique dynamic which was meant to be. A mother’s role embodies the attribute of procreation which is responsible for that maternal instinct which is the glue that has molded our families through the ages and by extension Barbados. Despite the ingenuity of man this is a reality which cannot be created on demand. The father has historically assumed the role as head of the family unit, regrettably for many the role in recent times has been reduced to being titular.

The rise of the woman to take a partnership role in the family unit has been overdue. Unfortunately the trade-off has been to create a learning curve as modern society wrestles with the harmonizing of the new roles ‘sexes’ must play. The ‘commodization’ of relationships has seen the dumbing down of the role of family in modern society. It is ironic that our message of lament concerning the fall of the family coincides with the recent ruling in the California Court which has allowed same sex marriages. If the ruling is overturned in November 2008 is left to be seen.

They are many who plot the moral slide in Barbados with the decreasing influence of the Church. We are not sure if our friend Peter Wickham has any quantitative studies which can support this position. Many will offer a rebuttal by highlighting the Catholic Church which has been responsible for suppressing information concerning sexual molestation and homosexual behaviour.

We are told the patriarch of the BU household has done a good job. The importance of a father or male substitute is very important in the household. Far too many children have had to grow-up in a single parent household and consequently have not benefited from the richness in upbringing which the traditional family offers. We can only speculate how many single parent (female) children may have had the realization of their potential retarded. For the record we should say that this blog in no way disregards the effort of many single parents who by forced circumstance had to step-up to the plate. We anticipate the old-fashion label being tossed around by some members of the BU family :-).

We have total respect for the roles of the father (male) and mother (female). Same sex marriages will erode the institution of marriage and with it the family unit as we know it. Is this what we want?