What Is a Dad?
I recently celebrated a birthday and my daughter gave me a birthday card which contained the title: “What is a Dad?”
What an interesting question to say the least. I couldn’t wait to see what the card had to say regarding this question. Also, it caused me to wonder if there is a difference between a dad and a father. Since we celebrate “Fathers Day” in June and not “Dads Day”; is there a difference? (See “Happy” Fathers Day for more information on this subject.)
I said to myself, maybe the card would provide some great definition or insight into the questions that lurked in my mind and probably in the minds of a lot of other people.
The card defined a dad this way, “A dad is someone to shelter and guide you, to love you as only he can; a dad is someone who’s always beside you to lend you the strength of his hand. A dad is someone who gives you his best and shares all his wisdom and skill. In every girl’s heart there’s a place set apart that only her dad can fill.”
As I read the card, my daughter waited for my response to its message. I will admit my heart was touched that she would seek out a card that she felt contained the message she wanted me to hear. The message was loud and clear to me that she loved me and appreciated the impact I had in her life. This was one of those moments in your life when you feel that your labor and sacrifice as a parent was worth it.
But, as I read the card again later when I was all alone; I thought about the last line of the card, “In every girl’s heart there is a place set apart that only her dad can fill.”
Wow!! What a powerful statement!!
I will admit; it felt good to know that in my daughter’s heart I had “earned” a special place. I say earned, because I thought about how many girls (and boys) are living their lives each day with a “void” in their hearts, because their dad was not involved in their life. Or maybe he was around, but his presence had a negative impact on them.
Men I shared this story not to boast, but to challenge each of us to think long and hard about the impact we have on our children. Our presence or the lack there of, can have either a positive or negative impact in our child’s life.
I am committed to positively impact my children; I hope you will join me.
For more information on how to positively impact your child’s life, request now your FREE Copy of “10 Ways Dads Can Positively Impact Their Children”. (See the request box above).
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For the woman in your life, my wife (Sylvia) has a personal development site focused specifically on the needs and concerns of women. The site is called, www.thedashlady.com.
Also, we have a joint site focused on the needs and concerns of couples (i.e. married, engaged, and seriously dating). This site is focused on helping couples to grow together through personal development. The site is called, www.marriagerhythm.com.
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Again, thanks for visiting this site.
Randy
The “DASH” Guy
