A father must seize these easy, plentiful moments before they disappear, which they do way too fast. Before a dad knows it, their little one has stopped running to greet them before they have even switched the engine off. That’s when it’s time for Dad to seek them out to find out what they did that day. It's dad’s turn to supply unconditional love to them when they turn away. They still love dad but they are too cool, too preoccupied, too embarrassed to show those public displays of affection that were so plentiful not so long ago. Dad must love them when they stumble. At times, a father needs to exert "tough love" when needed. They will think they hate him for being the bad guy but, deep down, they still love him. It's hard to be a dad. But only if you look at it that way. It's hard to make the tough calls but it's easy if love is behind those decisions. Because you know that the disappointment they feel now might be seen, in the future, for what it was meant to be - an act of love. A father’s investment can't be just the first one he made. It must be a consistent contribution of love for the rest of his life. If done right (there's more than one right way and all are filled with fatherly mistakes), you will be rewarded with riches beyond your wildest dreams.
As I laid in bed thinking of how thankful I am to be given the opportunity to be a father of two, I continued to cry. So happy to have had them in my life. My daughter came to help Dee get me out of bed. With tears in my eyes I told her how I had the greatest, most important, most pride filled, and most rewarding job. She took my hand and held it as I told her I loved her and she told me the same.
Being Jackie and Alex's father. That is my gift to myself this last father’s day.