The Big Brag
In some service club organizations, they have a part of the meeting called Brag For A Buck where you can stand up and, for a dollar, brag about someone in your organization or family for one minute. Today I want to announce a Father's Day contest (keep reading!) but on a related note, I also want to brag for a minute. Because when it came time to pick a guy to marry and have kids with, I got pretty lucky.
- He read War & Peace to our son before he was even born.
- He and the kids have matching luchador masks.
- He taught my daughter the life cycle of the nutcracker when she was four and then took her to the mountains to find one.
- He lets the kids stand on his back while he does push ups.
- He tells elaborate stories about talking animals and insists they're all completely true.
- He's a walking encyclopedia of politics, American history, geology, botany, ornithology - and Star Wars.
- He plays catch with my son until it's dark outside. Every night.
- Despite his degree in biology and the fact that he is a doctor, he told the kids that babies are made by "magic."
Dad’s bring to mind my Grandad, my husband, and my Father-In-Law. All amazing men who devote themselves to their children and grandchildren and great-granchildren. I can sum up all three of these men, not in how they show their love, but that they continue to care for their families, year-after-year, even after the kids have left home. They show their devotion through regular interactions and service. I love them all!
My dad is one of my best friends. He is patient, generous, thoughtful and kind.I wasn’t sure I could ever find a man with even half of the qualities I love about my father to spend my life with, but I have and I cannot wait to see the father he will become. Dad’s are so special!
My dad bought ne a book “this is how much I love you. My favoritee page is him shouting it from a mountIn top. It fell apart years ago from being so well read. Wish I still had it.
My dad was and still is awesome. He has been my rock, my anchor, the wise man, the one that drops all and comes running. He taught me how to love. Anything of monetary value could never represent what he means to me.
One of the things that makes me feel so accomplished is when my Dad says “I’m proud of you”. My heart soars to know that he is proud of what I do and who I have become. I hope all Dad’s tell there kids daily “I love you” and “I’m proud of you” because no matter what age you are it is wonderful to have a parents blessing and love.
Could not wish for a better dad for my boys. My husband rocks.
I’ll always fondly remember my Dad taking me fishing when I was a little girl. He did all the dirty work and I caught the fish.
My dad and my borther-in-law. Both gone too soon.
My Dad used to call me ‘Buckaroo’ when I was a kid and I loved it. We’re both dominant people and we butt heads sometimes (I got his stubbornness it seems) but I do love him and he obviously raised me well (and nerdy!)
I can’t wait to see what kind of dad my husband will be. I recently put the thought of him being able to play Footie (English Football/Soccer) with his kids one day in his head and that put a huge smile on his face.
My dad is absolutely amazing! I’m a single mama with two little girls. We are lucky enough to live next door to my parents. (He built me a house there!!) He is a huge part of my girls’ lives. They absolutely adore him! He makes sure to hug and kiss the girls every morning before school. So loving, so sweet.
My dad was so wonderful to me and my babies when I was going through my divorce. He allowed me to be able to be a stay at home mama until my girls started school a couple of years ago. He found out the hard way how important family is when my little brother died 10 years ago. He wanted me to be able to be with my girls and raise them myself, not ship them off to day care for someone else to raise while I was at work. He is always there for me and my family and I appreciate him so much. If it weren’t for him the girls and I would be skinny, naked and living in a cardboard box! He is always bending over backwards for us. I hope he knows just how much I love him and appreciate him. I’m the luckiest girl ever when it comes to dads and families!!
My husband is an amazing father. He leads and teaches by example. As our children were growing up he was always there for them. He was a coach, a referee; he supported them in every endeavor. Now they are all adults with children of their own and not a day goes by that he doesn’t hear from at least one of them.
Dear Rachael,
I will tell you a story about my Dad. When my five siblings and I were younger he worked in a big corporate office about 20 minutes from our house. Once or twice a week my Mom would load all of us kids into the car and drive us over the the office to see Dad. We’d arrive around the lunch hour. We looked forward to the visit all week (oh man, we were a piece of work).
Once we arrived at the office we’d pile out of the car and into the parking lot. And we’d begin to collect rocks from around the parking lot area. Flat rocks, smooth rocks, skinny rocks, grey rocks. Then we’d trek into the building and tear down the hallway to Dad’s office…where we’d deposit our collection of parking lot rocks on to his maple desk.
I laugh about it now- but as kids we were very serious about our rocks. We wanted Dad to notice how smooth they were, and what a nice rounded shape they had…and he did. He always commented on them. And he never complained when we’d line them up on his desk one…by… one.
I can only imagine him leaving the office each evening, turning off the lights, and glancing down at the 14 dozen rocks on his desk. He must have taken some of them back out to the parking lot, but the most special rocks were always there the next visit.
My Dad has a pillow in his office at our home that says, “Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy.” And, that, I think, just about sums him up.
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