PSN Issue
The Love of a Father
Headlines are quick to capture “deadbeat dads”. Stories and movies are often written
about abusive fathers, and about dads who disappear from the lives of their
children, leaving moms and children broken, hurt, desolate, and alone. We seem to hear a little bit about the good dads
around Fathers Day each year, but then the interest fades into the background,
and we don’t hear much more about the good dads of the world until Fathers Day
rolls around the next year.
It’s too
bad we don’t stop and look around and honor the good dads more often during the
year. There are a lot of amazing fathers out there. This is about one of those
dads, and I’m honored to write his story:
When his daughter came along, the father had no idea
that the unconditional love between a parent and his child could be so strong.
All eight pounds of her was placed in his arms for the very first time and he
was almost afraid to hold her! The indescribable love, the instinct to protect
this perfect child of his was something he could never before have imagined!
The baby soon began to crawl and then she toddled and
then she walked, and when she first said “daddy”, his world was turned upside
down with pride! She soon began calling her father “Daddy-man”, a name that
stuck throughout her young childhood years, and which even today, as he’s
reading this, I’m sure still brings tears of love to his eyes.
As happens often in the world, parents sometimes
divorce when their children are very young, and many times dads don’t get to
play the role they so cherished early in their children’s lives. But that was
not to be the case with “Daddy-man”. Early on, this dad knew he would never be
happy with the standard visitation of every other weekend that a lot of dads
agree to, and he fought and won shared joint custody of his daughter. With
strong determination, throughout his daughter’s entire childhood, he has been
thoroughly involved in her every stage of development, in her many
accomplishments, and in challenging times as well.
Every single decision “Daddy-man” has made and he
continues to make, is with his daughter’s best interest in mind. He has
sacrificed so much of his own life to make sure he gives his daughter what she
needs to thrive in the world. While you may know of a lot of single, handsome
guys out to impress the ladies with their sports cars or with the latest trend
of the day, a new car isn’t even a thought in his mind. This particular dad
puts his daughter and her welfare as the top priority on his list of importance,
above anyone and anything else.
While a lot of single men can’t wait for the weekend
to take in a sporting event with their friends and indulge in pizza and beers
with their buddies, that is not the case with this man. He has put his personal
adult wants, needs, and desires aside without regret. If he isn’t helping his
daughter with her homework or getting his household in order to maintain a safe
and happy environment for her, he is working to make sure he provides adequate
child support, that he will always have a home for her to come to, that she can
go to college when it is time without financial struggle. And, in this
uncertain economy, he is careful to make sure he and his daughter will be okay
financially should things take an unexpected turn.
“Daddy-man” may not enjoy the art of cooking, hence
the abundance of pizza nights and peanut butter and jelly in the pantry! But he does his best to fill his home
with her favorite treats during the days and nights his daughter is there. He
knows how important healthy food and exercise are for both of them and he does
his best, never asking for help from anyone.
Yes, his personal sacrifices have been and still are
many. Often times the loneliness in his home when his daughter is not there is
tough for him to handle. There are days when his heart breaks
and he truly struggles just to get through the day. But the love and dedication
and pride he forever holds in his heart for his daughter is what always keeps
him going, one day at a time.
Life has not been fair to this man. He is a good and
decent man who so deserved to raise his child in a home where he could watch
his daughter grow every single day, not just 50% of each week. And being the
fine and decent man he is, he will probably never tell his daughter about the
many sacrifices he has made while raising her and about the unbelievable
obstacles and hardships that were put in his way over the years. But I bet as
the years go by and as his daughter becomes a woman and marries, and when she
watches her father hold his grandchild in his arms for the very first time, she
will glance at “Daddy-man” and realize how lucky she is to have the greatest
father in the world!
Kelly
Jackson is a single mom who lives in Tampa, Florida, with her daughter,
Holly. And when someone touches
her heart, she simply has to write about it. With sincere admiration, “Daddy-man,” this one’s for you!
Disclaimer: All information on this site is of a general nature and is furnished for knowledge and understanding only.