I like Fathers Day because I get good cards & messages from my kids and because I get to go out to eat. As a long-time advocate for fathers & stepfathers, I also like that folks spend at least a few moments thinking about involved fatherhood and its meaning.
No single experience transformed me as a human being more than the experience of being a father to my children. Taking the chance
to be an at-home dad for some of their childhood, I felt the immediacy of that visceral, spiritual connection between father and child—a connection that continues 30 years later.
My kids are grown now, but that fact hasn’t changed some things. They are still important to me, and vice versa—although in different and continually evolving ways. I’ve also been blessed over the years to hear stories from thousands of fathers and kids, as a teacher and advocate for engaged fathering and stepfathering.
All of those stories and experiences renforce my measure of “engagement” for fathers: as a Dad, am I committing the same level of intensity as I did the day my child was born? The day of wonder and mystery and legacy when I first held my child in my hands?
So, there’s a Fathers Day wish: may every day as a dad bring you as much experience as possible of the intensity and wonder and commitment of fathering.
2 comments:
your work has been an inspiration to me, and made me realise the importance of being a good father.
Thank you!
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