Why Dads?

"Why dads? Because they are more valuable than gold. Least wise, they should be. The footprints dad need to fill are huge. These are different than the footprints a mother needs to fill. Not more important, not less important - just equally important." 

It has been said by some, the biggest disservice the Great Society did to our society, was to gut the family unit. In particular, it took many fathers out of the equation of home life. Fathers - dads, were replaced by "sperm donors". Woman would find a guy, hook up, get pregnant, and all of a sudden, we had a single family household (or, non-traditional, as some have called it). A single family household with often times an ill-equipped mother, trying to raise a child or children, with not enough money, and no father guidance. Sound harsh? I don't mean it to be. However, that is reality in many of our larger cities today.

I might have told this story before. When I was a young lad, my dad and I were involved in a YMCA program called Indian Guides. It is where a bunch of neighborhood dads and lads got together to do "fun stuff". More important than just doing activities, Indian Guides had a life long motto for a father and his son. "Pals forever". The dad and the lad both had Indian names, and the bonding which happened in that program was way beyond important. It was critical.

Dads supply so much to the family unit, it is hard to encapsulate all of it in a single article. And it is not just financial support. For example, a single family household is five times more likely to live in poverty than a dual parent household. In other words, in 2015 (a bit dated information), 43% of all single parent kids lived in poverty, whereas only 10% of dual income parents lived in poverty. Money is not everything in a family, but living in poverty really gives a kid two strikes against him or her while growing up.

But here is the heart of the matter. Dads give their kids (or they should), a huge role model. A model much different than a nurturing mother gives. Plus, the role model they present to their sons, should help the young boy grow up to have similar virtues. 

When I was growing up, we had an "Ozzie and Harriet" or "Father Knows Best" type of nuclear family. Our family life was far from perfect - we had its ups and downs. But - both my parents were always there for moral support as well as providing for the family with financial support. 

As important as my dad was when I was growing up, he became equally as important when I reached manhood. He went from just being my dad, to being my mentor, my friend. I could not have imagined what life would have been like, not to have my dad to lean on. To talk to. To confide in. He was my rock. When times my knees might have become wobbly over a life circumstance dad was always there to talk to. He was my cheerleader, every time I took a new job. He was there when I decided to enter the Navy. And speaking of the Navy, he was there when I left for boot camp, and there when I retired from the Navy.

Why dads? Because they are more valuable than gold. Least wise, they should be. The footprints dad need to fill are huge. These are different than the footprints a mother needs to fill. Not more important, not less important - just equally important.

Dads also have an important role to fill for their daughters. Trust me, I have two of them. The mentoring is different than with a son, but equally important. Even though I have no sons to mentor, I have son-in-laws, and a grandson.  

My dad has been gone now for almost 20 years. I remember him like he was here yesterday. My dad was a good man, although not a perfect man. He was my rock star. He was my friend. He was my "pal forever". Happy Father's Day dad - and thanks. Thanks for always being there for me.