Father's Day 2011

No doubt because I am one, I am partial to Father's Day. While I am the first to admit I have been far from perfect in this role, being a father for more than thirty years continues to be my greatest joy and blessing. So, it is on this day that I salute all who dwell in the world of fatherhood. Particularly, I tip my hat to those Dads who take it seriously and strive to make a positive difference in the lives of their children. You are the log on your child's fire, often times the bar by which the child measures their success. You are the one who tastes the new food the child insists they hate to prove that not only is it edible but it's yummy, too.

In my early years as a father I was often struck by how few expectations there were of me and other new Dads that I knew. When it came to the nitty-gritty of parenting, it was the Moms who were expected to do the heavy lifting: changing diapers, putting the child to bed, getting up in the middle of the night to feed the baby, preparing the food, etc. Moms were seen as the go-to parent. I always viewed that as being an unfair burden that Moms had to carry. After all, they were just as new to this parenting "thing" as were the Dads, yet it was just assumed they knew what to do in every situation or, at the very least, they could handle it. But just as heavy was the burden Dads carried of not having any expectations of them.

I came to appreciate the best parents were the ones who worked together as a team. They shared the challenges of parenting and were living examples of how life is at its best when collaboration and cooperation are the norm. By working together and tackling all the fun and unfun chores of parenting, the Mom and Dad demonstrated to their child the ultimate benefits of effective communication even when those efforts did not always go smoothly or result in success. As the Dad in that mix, there was and is no greater privilege. And the fact after all these years my baby girl still loves me, tells me perhaps I did not do such a bad job after all.