As the world celebrates Father’s Day on June 15th, a crucial conversation on Kumasi based Pure fm is asking a painful question: why are fathers often overlooked, unappreciated, and lacking emotional support, even on their special day? The answer, BLM argues, lies in how society raises its boys.
The issue was thrust into the spotlight during a compelling discussion on Pure FM (Angel Broadcasting Network).
Popular host Alexis De Godson engaged Kumawood star and motivational figure Bishop Lumba. Their dialogue uncovered a stark reality: many fathers diligently provide for their families yet remain emotionally distant figures.
Mothers, often the primary emotional caregivers, can unintentionally (or sometimes intentionally) paint fathers negatively to the children due to this absence. Consequently, children often grow up believing only their mothers truly love them, leaving fathers feeling uncelebrated and unsupported.
This Father’s Day dilemma, Boys Lives Matter advocate, and prominent Ghanaian blogger ‘Koby KYEI’ contends, is deeply rooted in the systemic neglect boys face from childhood.
The “Boys Lives Matter” movement, strongly supported by figures like international mental health expert Rev Dr David Rex Orgen (Founder of InspireMind Global), highlights a devastating cycle:
📌 The Neglected Boy: Boys are often left to fend for themselves emotionally and sometimes financially. Society expects them to be tough, silent providers-in-training, offering little emotional support or guidance. “Many boys grow up going through life all alone, nobody to depend on, financially, emotionally and everything,” the movement emphasizes.
📌 The Crushing Burden: Despite this neglect, immense pressure is placed on boys. They are told they ‘must’ become the family backbone, the unwavering breadwinner, the strong pillar – often with minimal support to develop the emotional skills needed for these roles.
📌 The Struggling Father: This neglected boy, starved of emotional nurturing and burdened by expectation, grows into a man expected to be a present, emotionally available father. How can he provide the emotional support he never received? How can he connect deeply with his children when his own emotional needs were ignored? The result is the distant father, performing his duties but failing to connect, perpetuating the cycle of emotional lack Bishop Lumba described.
“This heartbreaking cycle is why ‘Boys Lives Matter’ is not just a slogan, it’s a societal imperative,” urges Koby Kyei. “We expect these boys to become superhero fathers, husbands, and providers, yet we abandon them during the most formative years. We deny them the emotional tools and support girls often receive, then wonder why fathers struggle.”
Rev Dr David Rex Orgen, whose nonprofit InspireMind Global focuses on mental health and youth empowerment, particularly for boys, reinforces this.
“Ignoring the emotional and mental health needs of boys doesn’t just harm them; it cripples their future capacity for healthy relationships, effective fatherhood, and overall well-being. Supporting boys ‘now’ is an investment in stronger families and communities tomorrow.”
Future Fathers: Every boy is a potential future father. The love, care, emotional guidance, and mental health support we give him today directly shapes the kind of father he becomes.
Breaking the Cycle: Supporting boys emotionally breaks the generational cycle of distant fatherhood and lack of celebration. It teaches them the skills they need to connect with their own children.
Building Healthier Men: Emotional neglect fosters insecurity, anger, and poor mental health. Supporting boys creates more balanced, resilient, and capable men.
Shared Responsibility: Raising emotionally healthy children, regardless of gender, requires societal effort. Boys need positive male role models, mentorship, and permission to express vulnerability.
As we celebrate Father’s Day 2025, the “Boys Lives Matter” movement urges everyone – parents, educators, community leaders, and policymakers – to recognize the critical link between how we treat our boys and the fathers they become.
“Let’s all come on board,” support the ‘Boys Lives Matter’ cause. Mentor a boy, listen to them, offer emotional support, challenge harmful stereotypes. Show them their lives, their feelings, and their future potential ‘matter’. Because when we nurture our boys with love and care, we aren’t just helping them – we are building the foundations for the celebrated, emotionally present fathers of tomorrow.”
Support Boys Today. Build Stronger Fathers Tomorrow. #BoysLivesMatter #BLMGhana #SupportOurBoys #FutureFathers*
Story Written Mc Paa Saahene | Kobby Kyei News
