Image Credit: SUBMITTED

OPINION

About a month ago I sent out a reminder about Mother’s Day.

I wanted to make sure dedicated mothers and mother figures everywhere received the recognition they deserve — even for just one day (although we all know they really should be praised every day).

This week we celebrate and equally important occasion — Father’s Day.

Now, of course I need to take a pause here and remind everyone that although it is called Father’s Day, we all know what that really means is anyone who is (or was) a father figure to you — could be an uncle, grandfather, cousin or friend.

But back to praising the dads…

Dads are a unique species of their own. They provide a foundation for what’s to come — for the persons we are to become.

When we are little they are big and loud, and sometimes hairy, and we aren’t really quite sure what to make of them.

But we recognize this growing bond with them, especially as we allow them to show us the world around us.

For many of us, our dads were the first person to teach us the value of money. After helping us to set up a lemonade stand at the end of the driveway, they watched us spend the next few hours serving customers driving by, and made sure to reward us with a large tip at the end.

They spent countless hours teaching us lessons (many of which we weren’t interested in learning), and re-teaching us again after we’d forgotten what they taught us in the first place.

Everyone has a story about a lesson or skill they learned from their dad. Whether it was driving a car, starting a fire, fishing, cooking, how to properly coil a garden hose, and maybe even how to fight.

And let’s not forget the ever-popular anecdotes about something dad let you get away with. Maybe it was eating ice cream out of the container (and putting it back in the freezer), watching an R rated movie, staying up late, lighting off fireworks (fess up now guys) and ‘helping’ drive the truck while sitting on dad’s lap when your feet couldn’t reach the pedals.

Dads can also have a compassionate side. Some of the best hugs come from dads — purposeful, strong and safe.

When you get a hug from dad, you know you did something great.

For the sons, dads can teach them how to behave appropriately in future relationships with their respective partners, and for the daughters, dads offer a never-ending cycle of jokes about boyfriends and an imaginary rifle.

But seriously dads, you shoulder a massive amount of emotional responsibility and I’m grateful when I witness a dad living up to the challenge.

I’m thankful to my own dad for hundreds of reasons — literally too many to count — which tells me he has been a big part of my life, and for that I am the MOST grateful. 

Dads are an important piece of the puzzle, and whatever your ‘dad’ may look like, don’t forget to celebrate them this Father’s Day.

— Becky Mann is a 30-something, red haired, mother of two, trying to navigate this life as best she can. She enjoys talking to people and discovering their stories. Still trying to balance her personal and professional life, she juggles work and play. In her spare time Becky can be found visiting with friends, spending time with her family and saving time by reading while walking, She knows there is so much more to come and is looking forward to the continued adventure.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor.

News from © iNFOnews, 2018