“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”--Elizabeth Stone
What an incredible journey it is to be a father! My wife and I are fortunate to have two beautiful daughters who have provided so many blessings in our life.
The best advice I received upon the birth of Lynn (our first daughter) was to enjoy every moment, because children grow up so quickly. It’s amazing to think that they’re now 23 and 20 years of age. Time certainly has flown.
Of course the joy and excitement of having a child is tempered with the realities of raising and financially supporting that child. One of the fallacies of being a father is the belief that giving our children “quality time” can make up for not being an integral part their life. With children, there is no such thing as quality time—they just want our time. They want us to be present with them. Present at their school events, sporting events—present when they’re discussing the events of their day.
Blaine Lee, in the book The Power Principle, may have summarized it best, “Some believe that there is nothing which can compensate for failure at home. If that is true, then perhaps the greatest, most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home.”
Father’s Day is not just a single day, it is an opportunity every day for the rest of this year to consider giving yourself and your children a gift—the gift of time together. Bring them to the Y and workout together, play basketball, splash in the pool, race up the climbing wall…give them the present of your time. They’ll be glad you did—and so will you!
Posted by Bob Brosmer, Chief Operating Officer, Y of Central Maryland
