Progressives have been waging a war on men for years.
Masculinity is derided as toxic. The male role in families as fathers and providers is undermined as unnecessary for a fulfilling life, despite all the evidence of hardship children of single-parent households undergo.
For those who were fortunate to grow up with an involved father, it can be difficult to put that important bond into words.
Art steps in when mere language fails us. Now a Nashville songwriter has poured complex feelings about fatherhood into a simple form that has become a viral sensation.
As reported by Breitbart, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Michael Farren has written hundreds of songs. Many have been recorded by well-known performers such as Lauren Daigle, Reba McEntire and Zach Williams.
For “Checking In,” his new piece on the significance of fathers, Farren worked with songwriters Kenneth Hart and Garrett Jacobs.
To publicly release the song, Farren recorded himself performing alone in an isolated campground, just a man and his guitar.
In an era dominated by technologically overproduced and packaged musical products, the humble approach gives more power and poignancy to the song.
Farren then had to leave the campground to find the WiFi needed to upload the recording to Instagram and TikTok.
Does this song make you want to talk to your father?
Like many great country songs, “Checking In” tells a story. A son revisits a voicemail from his dad.
It’s clear in the song the dad is gone now, and how much the singer wishes he had followed up more while he still could.
Farren knew from an earlier performance they had stuck a chord with the song. When he premiered it in Nashville’s Listening Room, Farren said, “It wrecked the room. Grown men sitting there crying at a public place.”
Thousands are commenting on the social media posts of the song, with men making 70 percent of the comments, according to the data analysis.
According to Farran, the emotional messages range from gratitude to regret. “Thanks for making a grown man cry,” and “I wish I’d taken that last phone call,” are representative of the responses he mentions.
Fathers are a foundation of the nuclear family, which is vital to a stable society. So many social ills arise from the lack of fathers. We need more advocates for fatherhood in the culture like Farren and NFL coach Tony Dungy.
Dungy backed Florida’s Responsible Fatherhood Initiative, which provided resources to keep fathers involved with their kids.
When Dungy was criticized for emphasizing the importance of fathers, he was able to quote former President Barack Obama to support his position: “Children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. … And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.”
This is the kind of positive messaging our culture needs. Kids need dads. As a society, we should come together with an affirmation of manhood, family, connectivity and love.
I can personally relate to the emotions the song “Checking In” stirs.
I am fortunate I can still call my dad, and I’m going to do so as soon as I’m done here.
I’m going to thank him again for being such a good example for me. I’m going to tell him again how proud I am of him, and how much I love him.
Do the same, if you can. Or at least acknowledge the good men you have in your life.
