For the past several weeks, on the days I drive to work I end up waiting at this stoplight where I have seen what appears to be a young dad along with his toddler son waiting for a bus on a bench. The pair have intrigued me, because it seems they are on a schedule heading somewhere early in the morning and I consistently catch them at that same time patiently waiting. The toddler who is playing with his small tablet with one hand, holds on to his dad's pant leg with the other. The dad tenderly plays with his son, while he peers down the street to see if their bus is on the way. This has been a quick snapshot scene for me over several weeks and as I continue on my morning's journey, I think about how much I admire this young dad managing his important role all while contending with public transportation and who knows what else as a young father. As I observe what appears to be a dedicated young dad making his way in the world with his child in tow, I admire that he demonstrates much care and attention for his son. It has also made me contemplate even more the role of fathers and what it is that they end up teaching their children through the course of raising them. We often hear about dads who are either absent or work so much that they miss a lot of the transformative years with their own children. When you think about adults who did not have the best childhood, one typically hears of the lack of a strong parental figure as being part of the root cause. I have also heard personal stories of people who blamed their insecurities or other issues due to lack of adequate parental guidance. Although I can easily understand why someone's troubled younger years could be tied to a lack of a responsible and present parent, I believe as an adult we must all be able to put any resentment to rest. We all have the ability to change the future path in our own lives even when we may not have gotten the best beginning. I also think about the many hurdles’ fathers face, such as the one I keep running into at this bus stop and wonder what it will be like for this young child when he is grown up and remembers the early morning bus trips with his dad. Such as the values and morals that his father taught him. I can only hope that the young boy grows up to be as responsible as his father appears to be and that the life lessons he was taught will live long after he is grown. For many of us, it is the simple things that we did with our fathers that we tend to remember most when we think back to happy moments in our lifetime. Perhaps when you took a trip somewhere or a special outing where you can remember their joy and laughter. In my case, I worked on the weekends alongside my dad and the value of hard work still is with me to this day. In addition, although he knew nothing about the sport of tennis which I played in high school and college, he showed up to my sports banquets and was a proud parent at both my high school and college graduations. I know for sure that for all of the stories that we hear about absent fathers, there are plenty of examples of those dads that were present, nurturing and dedicated while doing the best that they knew how in raising their kids. I won't even mention the many dads who raised children that were not even their own as my dad did, as that can be another column all by itself. Then I am lucky to have some close friends who exemplify being a great dad and some now even beaming grandfathers, who are equally as proud of their grandkids as they are of their children. I love seeing these examples all around me and although I would hope that someone would highlight their great personal achievements, I am left to writing this column as an homage to all of those dedicated men who quietly exemplified the role of a leader in their children's lives. Today I will simply say thank you to the many fathers who did their best in raising responsible and loving children, without being in the limelight as they quietly glowed with pride and just loved their kids while many eyes were not watching them. To the many dedicated fathers around the world, cheers to you and to the work you have done as the first example of what a true leader does.
“The
heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature.”
― Prevost Abbe
