NOTE: At the end of this post, I'll tell you the rules for my Fathers Day 2018 Contest: The winner will get to choose between two field-level tickets to a regular season Yankees game in the Bronx (date TBA, travel not included) or a $1,000 donation to your father's favorite charity.
My father died when I was eleven, and was in and out of my life before that, so I don't have too many solid memories of him.
And while I was super close with my mother, I never felt like I knew "the whole story" with her. I think my mom operated under the "I didn’t want to tell you because you weren’t ready" mentality, and we never quite got there.
In anticipation of Father's Day, I've been thinking a lot about what being a father means to me, and a big part of it is sharing as much of my life as possible with my two kids.
This meant bringing them to work as much as was possible (and realistic) while they were growing up, and it also meant letting them have a voice in where we'd go on vacation, or to eat - or any of our family plans, for that matter. And it's meant being open with my children emotionally (within reason of course).
Being a father has also meant passing on "life lessons." I've always emphasized three "golden rules" with my kids:
1. Be a good person to everyone.
2. Be a good brother and son with your family.
3. Do your best in school.
Those were our only "non-negotiable" rules. We drilled them into our kids very early on.
And it's very satisfying to see what generous adults they've become, what good sports they are at all times.
But being a father is not just about how I "parent" my kids; it's also about how they influence me!
My kids, in addition to my wife, serve as my accountability police.
They keep me honest by goofing on me what seems like all of the time. They help me to not take myself too seriously.
It’s good to have people who know you and are completely open and honest with you. Who can critique you.
My daughter often calls me out when I tell her a story: "I can't believe you said that to that person!" (She also helps me dress sometimes.)
For me, the bottom line is that being a father is about more than the love I have for my kids: It's the teaching that only my my wife and I can provide them - and it's the learning that we can only get from them.
FATHERS DAY 2018 CONTEST RULES:
1. Subscribe to this blog by entering your email address > HERE <. (If you're already subscribed, you can skip this step.)
2. Leave a comment in the comments section below, telling me what being a father - or having a father - means to you. If you're reading this from your email, click > HERE < to go to the full blog page on my website and you can leave your comments below.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! CONTEST CLOSES AT 12:01 AM, EASTERN STANDARD TIME, JUNE 18th, 2018.
CONTEST RULES: By entering your comment, you are agreeing to the following Official Rules: Must be US resident; Must enter by leaving comment in comments section of this post; I retain the right to publicize the names and likenesses of the winner(s); If winner forfeits or does not claim the prize, it will be re-awarded, at my discretion. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Song of the Day: "Father And Daughter" by Paul Simon
Being a father means teaching your children to be great people who fit into society, make a difference and being able to give back. My Dad taught me this in the 23 years He was alive in my life. He groomed me to be an engineer with business smarts. He also taught me the passion of baseball. He would take me to opening day and old timers day. He brought me to the remodeled Yankees opening day with my brother cousin and Uncle. I was 10. I will never forget that day. My father died before I got married and had my own boys. I have been there for them and my community. I ran my sons Boy Scout Troop after my son became an Eagle Scout. I wanted to give back. When the Stadium closed in 2008 I brought my old east son who was 12 to the last game. I had season tickets those years and my son named after my father was with me that night. We had taken a picture together during the season and then photo shopped my father into the picture. We then taped the picture under our seats. I told my son now we can say Tom Tsaveras and Jim Tsaverasopened and closed remodeled Yankee Stadium. After that game It felt like leaving a funeral. I do everything for my kids to help them succeed by giving them the tools, knowledge respect and how to think through problems. If I win these tickets I want to donate them to a father who works hard and can’t afford to take his boys to a game. Let them have that memory my Dad gave me and the ones I gave my sons. My oldest went to many great games and World Championship In 2009. He is grown up now. My 14 year old I will take to the next World Series Yanks are in. God willing. Thanks Mr. Steiner for what you do!
I think the most important part of being a father is teaching your children that doing the right thing isn’t always easy but it is important to do anyway. Which is why if I win I would like to choose the donation to charity.
I am the biggest Yankee fan thanks to my dad. When I was young he coached me through tee ball. After that he wasn’t my actual coach, but he was the one who taught me most about sports, hard work, and respect. He was at every softball and basketball game cheering me on, but also giving me the tough love required to push me to be better. He is the best role model I could have ever asked for growing up, and I will continue to look up to him for the rest of my life. While everyone in my family loves the Yankees, I’ve always felt a special bond with my dad through our mutual love for the team. Even when I was away at college, we would talk on the phone or FaceTime during the games. Now that I’ve recently graduated with my doctorate and moved back home, I get to watch all the games with him in our living room. I was able to take him to the new stadium for the first time last year, and while we sat all the way up in the 400’s, it was still the best time being able to spend the day watching our favorite team and game with him. I would love to win this for him to not only be able to create another day of awesome father/daughter memories, but to also give him more recognition for the amazing father that he is.
Let’s start by saying my father loved me unconditionally but I am not sure he understood me. I was an athlete and he was not. The good thing was that he footed the bill for any sport I wanted to play. The bad news… all I wanted was for him to come and watch me.
My husband is a superior athlete. His father didn’t pay or watch him play any of his sports…. even when he was playing on a major Jr A farm team for an NHL. Both of our fathers were products of the Great Depression and World War Two- both suffered from PTSD without being diagnosed. We place no blame on any shortcomings.
But here is the rainbow …. our daughter had the most supportive father in all her endeavours, especially sports. In fact, our girl made it to the show and spends her life in the sport she has loved since the age of 4. She is a professional show jumper in Europe. She played soccer, tennis, ran cross country, and was on the swimming team in high school. Her dad didn’t miss a thing. Did we sacrifice so she could ride horses? Oh yeah! It broke us financially. Was it worth it?? Absolutely!!
Our adversities as young athletes made us better parents. That’s just how it works sometimes.
I now have 2 fathers I found out this past August that I was adopted at birth. I am 46. My birth father never gave on finding me posting on adoption websites even hiring a PI. When I found out about the adoption from my father who adopted me i had no idea where to start my search. By conincidence I went on a website and out all the info I had in which was my birth moms name. My fathers named popped up with her name with another persons name (which was my name at birth). So I searxed my fathers name and with some help from my friends I was able to come up with a ph# in Texas. I called that number on aug 7th at 7pm. When he answered the ph I asked a couple of quick questions about his history and he actually answered instead of hanging up on me like I was a telemarketer. The last question I asked was do you remember if you had a so. Born in Brooklyn in 1971 and before I got another word out he said at Brookdale hospital I said yes he said I have been waiting for this call for 25 years. So a dad to me is someone who never gives up on their kids and lives them unconditionally whether you are with them or not . Thank you for letting me tell you my story