Saturday, February 21, 2009

FATHERHOOD



I have often contemplated what it means to be a father. When I lost my dad this past June I thought what he had meant to me. As I write this I look at his picture and remember the power he had in my life. That caused me to reevaluate my role in my kids' life. I would only hope to have the influence on them that my dad had on me.

Being a father is a great moment in a man's life. To guide someone else's life is tough but it's what you assume when you become a parent. You can only try to do what is best and hope that it works out. When my daughter was diagnosed with MS I was devastated. I didn't know how to react. She had been a near world class athlete in soccer. She made the regional team in the Olympic Development Team and narrowly missed making the national team pool. Now she faced this debilitating disease and I couldn't do anything about it.

Throughout this trauma she has taught me about courage. She has lectured my family endlessly, not with her words, but with her actions. She is determined. She will have a life that is dictated not by her disease, but by her will. She is my hero.

This video is what I wanted to say. There is a mother in it for a short time, but for most of the video it is the male that is teaching his child to be strong and on its own. He protects her from danger and makes sure she can have the life she wants to have.

Most of the time we learn from others. I have.

6 comments:

AmPowerBlog said...

Great post, Law and Order Teacher.

I lost my dad in 2004, and it was painful, but I think I'm a better dad knowing that I have even greater responsibility as the guardian, in some sense, of my family's moral legacy.

Keep it up ... always enjoy reading your posts.

Law and Order Teacher said...

Dr.D,
As always, it is an honor when you visit. I always thought that being a father is the most important role we play. Thanks again.

Average American said...

Ah yes, there is no higher calling for a father than to do the best he can for his children, morally and materialistically. What a better world we could have if all parents could and would take that view, especially the moral part.

Law and Order Teacher said...

AA,
Thanks for the visit. For a lot of children that is a lost art and they are a lost cause. Sad.

Z said...

That's one of the most touching, pleasant to watch videos I have seen. Thank you SO MUCH..and the song's lovely. I may be back to watch again!

God's peace to you and your daughter...I won't give platitudes about MS, you know all about it by now.
May she have a light case and may the fighter instinct and courage you obviously gave her see her through. Great job, Dad. xxx

Law and Order Teacher said...

Z,
Thanks for the visit. It has been harder on me than it has been on her. She has a lot more courage than me. I'm a pansy compared to her attitude about this. I hope if I'm ever afflicted with something that challenges me, I am as tough and resolute as her.