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
My dad is very special. He and my mom adopted 11 children after having 5 of thier own. They have shown us the true meaning of parenthood, commitment, and treat each of us children the same. He works very hard and has never asked anyone for help. He deserves all the kudos in the world for providing and caring for all of us. If anyone deserves the recognition on fathers day it is him.
Having a father means everything to me. My dad is the best dad anyone could ask for partly because he’s a yankees fan. But also because he’s kind, caring, loving, and helpful. And i think all dads are this way. Happy Father’s day!!!!
My favorite memory of my father was him actually taking time off of work and going to support me and my friends while we played football on Friday nights . One year after my senior year he passed away from a heart attack he was only 47 years old and not one day goes by where I don’t miss him . Now I coach football myself and I can still hear him from the stands on a Friday night under the lights
Having a father means a lot of things to me. It means that I will always have someone to talk to, that I will always have someone that’ll have my best interests at heart, but most of all it means that I will always have a friend. My father has taught me so many life lessons and how to be a man, how to constantly be the best person I can be, and how to be an overall gentleman. My father has always been by my side teaching me about everything from math and computers to being a good person and how to treat people. My dad has been my greatest influence and my best friend. I do not know who I’d be or what I’d do without him in my life. Happy Father’s Day to my father, and to all the fathers out there!!
Having a father means I always have a supporter, a confident, and someone who loves me unconditionally. My birth dad pretty much abandoned me at the age of 14 when My mom divorced him. I look at my step dad as if he was my birth father because he’s the one who raised me, and taught me everything I needed to know. My father helps me so much with anything I need help with. I’m chronically ill with many chronic illnesses, one terminal, and my father will come over, no matter the time, If I need him. My father is my best friend, and I can talk to him about anything. My father is the ultimate best grandpa to my daughter. My father also LOVES the Yankees and would be in heaven if he ever got to go to a game. Every birthday, and Christmas, I buy my father Yankees stuff that he has started a collection from in his Yankees room, which used to be the computer room. Thank you for this amazing opportunity to give my father the best gift I would ever given him.