Father's Day

I've been reflecting today on how fortunate I have been in my life to not only have a great father myself, but to have chosen a great father for my own son. While my dad and my husband are very different men, they have several common features that make them terrific fathers -- they are loyal, steadfast, devoted and affectionate. My dad taught me about integrity, duty and sacrifice, and made me believe -- deep down in my bones -- that I was smart and beautiful and interesting. He told me that I was exceptional, and he expected me to be exceptional. When so many other young girls doubted their own worth, I did not. I knew I was special -- I could see it in my dad's eyes. David is gentle and patient and mellow -- he is everything I'm not and so together we make the perfect parenting team. He is mellow and easygoing, and finds humor in every situation. I never have to ask or beg or nag him to watch the baby or feed the baby or bathe the baby...he is always in there, right beside me through all the wonders and hardships and surprises of parenthood. His joy for life and his awe of our son is infectious. He makes me a better mother.

I think that so many of the problems of today -- so much of the unraveling of our social fabric -- can be attributed to the loss of strong father figures. This is not to say that dads must always conform to the exact same traditional mold -- they must at least be present. They must care. They must try. Any idiot can have a child...but it takes a real man to stick around and raise one.

So this goes out to all the father figures out there -- including stepfathers, foster fathers, adoptive fathers, guardians, and grandfathers...but especially to my father and to my son's father. Keep doing what you're doing. It's important. It matters. And we're thankful.