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Every Melchizedek Priesthood bearer who is a husband or father has the authority, through worthiness, to give a priesthood blessing on special occasions or in times of special need to members of his family--a husband's blessing to his wife or a father's blessing to a son or daughter. Such blessings may be suggested by the husband or father or requested by the one desiring the blessing. They are blessings of love, counsel, and encouragement. Like all priesthood blessings, these are given by the laying on of hands on the head of the one receiving the blessing.
Source: Ludlow, Daniel H, ed. The Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Vol. 1. BLESSINGS. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1992.
The father may give blessings when requested by his wife or children or when he feels their need. He does not force a blessing on anyone, for that would conflict both with the law of agency and the spirit of love. There is no ideal frequency for such blessings, only as the needs of the person and the whisperings of the Spirit suggest. A father will find performing this sacred ordinance easier if his relationships with his children are gentle and kind. If there is a conflict between father and child, it may be necessary to reconcile it before attempting the blessing.
A father's blessing is both an ordinance authorized by God and an action that draws father and child together even as it reassures a mother, who sees her husband spiritually minister to their child. It is a symbolic and official godlike act of pure love.
Source: Ludlow, Daniel H, ed. The Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Vol. 2. FATHER'S BLESSINGS. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1992.