Father's Day Thoughts

Fathers Day is upon us and I want to take a moment and share a few thoughts about my own father, family, my upbringing and what I've learned as a father. Just about any healthy guy can become a father, however it's the special person that gets to be called Daddy. 

Family dynamics have changed so much since I was a kid in the 1960's, but here's the conclusion I'm coming to, and it's just my take on what my mom & dad did for us (and there were 7 children in my family!). 

Although there doesn't appear to be an 'owners manual' with instructions for being a good father, but there are indeed some rules.

How you get there is what makes you a Dad. 

These are the basic four, in no particular order. A good father provides the following: 

1. A Safe & Warm Environment: a home, adequately cooled, heated, and secured. A room (even if shared with someone) that we could call our own and feel safe. 

2. A Comfortable and healthy environment: one where we all had plenty of healthy food to eat (even if that wasn't always our fist choice :-); good healthcare; good education and people encouraging us in our studies; recreational opportunities, as well as discipline and boundries clearly laid out and consistently enforced (although being the 5th child, I got away with plenty of shenanigans :-). 

3. Love and kindness: we didn't have a lot of money, but we also didn't know it. 

There was always plenty of love, support, and encouragement in my home - with much of it coming from my extended large Italian family. 

4. Stability: Regardless of what my parents were going through, we didn't know it - we all knew that at the end of the day, regardless of the drama, trouble, fighting, etc. we were going to be OK. And we were. 

My point here is I don't think it matters a whole lot WHO is providing the four things I mention above. What's important is that they are provided. Sadly, there are too many children living in situations that have one or more of these missing and THIS has a big effect on who and what these people become. 

Happy Fathers Day to all fathers who stuck it out and provided for your families. The hardest job you'll ever love!