Father’s Day

I would be remiss if I wrote a Father’s Day article without mentioning the Fathers in my life so I will lead off with that:

• Dad – I would need far too many words to express what he means to me. All I can do is point out that I look like him, I went into a similar profession, I have similar interests, and I inherited his disdain for cucumbers. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Dad should probably feel pretty flattered. I am forever grateful for him.
• Grandpa Little – My grandpa was a man that always carried himself with dignity, was looked up to as a leader no matter the context, and cared for others much more than himself. He loved his family dearly and did whatever it took to take care of them and provide the best for them. He was a great example for all of his grandsons to look up to and he is missed.
• Mike Luethge – I am truly blessed to have the In-Laws that I have. My father-in-law did a fantastic job helping to raise his 4 children into truly fantastic men and one truly wonderful woman. He has been a wonderful grandfather to my kids. He has always been a fantastic listener whenever I have needed and he has displayed amazing patience when golfing with me. Most importantly, he didn’t end up shooting me (though I’m sure it crossed his mind) when I asked him to marry his teenage daughter.

I could fill many more pages about all three of these men, but I will sum it up with “I am truly blessed”.

This week as Father’s Day approached, and the birth of my third child drew nearer and nearer, I began reflecting on the amazing blessing of being a father. I remember finding out that, after years of trying, we were expecting our first child and all of the joy that came with that. I remember falling in love with Allison before I ever met her and just marveling that my love could even grow from that point. I remember coming home with my wife and child for the first time, and looking at Becky and saying, “What were they thinking letting us bring this baby home. We don’t know what we are doing!” I also remember an agonizing week in the hospital after Allison had major surgery to remove a choledochal cyst at 2 ½ months old and aching for any way to make her all better. (By the way… a really good way to not worry about little things in the life of your first child is to have a big thing happen early on. The rest of the stuff just falls into place).  At that point I really wasn’t even grasping what being a father really meant… I was just trying to keep from doing anything to screw up this precious little girl that I had been entrusted with.

I also remember Becky trying (but failing) to surprise me with the news that she was pregnant with our second.  We were surprised that it happened so quickly, but we were extremely happy. When we found out it was a boy I was thrilled beyond words. It was around that point I began to wonder how it works when you have more than one kid. Does loving a second child impact your love for the first? Is it possible to love the second one as much as I had grown to love Allison? All parents know the answer to that, and I found it out when James was born. One of the greatest blessings of being a father is that it is the most effective way to show you your own capacity for love and in turn make you understand everything your parents tried to convey to you through the years that you just didn’t get.

Most recently I remember Becky trying (and succeeding) to surprise me with the news that we are having a third child. As she showed me the new “wallpaper” she found for her phone over dinner (it was a picture of her positive pregnancy test) and I showed how brilliantly intelligent I am by uttering, “is this yours?!” I just sat stunned. And then the joy began to come over me. At that point I really thought we were probably done having children and then we received this surprise gift that is such an amazing thing and I have fallen in love all over again. In fairness, after finding out it is another girl, it also made me even more thankful that The Captain, in his infinite wisdom, saw fit to ensure that I received a 12 gauge shotgun as a present to prepare for the first time some kid comes over thinking he’s picking up one of my daughters in a “wife-beater” tank top with his underwear hanging out the top of his pants and he honks the horn in my driveway and he and I have to have a chat. But I digress. We are at the point where it is likely that this will be our last child, and it’s been a joy to just soak it up in my mind and really look forward to meeting her for the first time. Admittedly, I have a soft-spot for third born children…and my girls… so I’m pretty sure she already has me wrapped around her pinkie. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

All of these memories are barely the tip of the iceberg of how amazing it is to be a Father. So I thought I would try to avoid writing 3,000 words and just list a very few of my favorite things:

• Hearing “Daddy!!” when I walk in the door after work
• Getting a hug and an unsolicited “I love you Daddy”
• Getting that rare snuggle now that they are getting older
• Seeing the light bulb turn on when they learn something new
• Sitting with one of them on each leg reading them a story
• Celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday with them by making Green Eggs and Bacon
• Hearing them cheer me on when I am playing softball
• Their first parent-teacher conferences, when I found out, I haven’t messed up their academic career
• When they decide to cheer for something I like because their daddy likes it (now Georgia Tech did fall to 2^nd fiddle because Grandma loves Nebraska most, but I seem to be winning in other areas!)
• When something is hurting and they want to be in my arms for comfort
• Getting to teach them new things when their inquisitive minds are just yearning for it
• Father-son and Father-daughter outings
• Hearing them make up songs about everyday things like I do
• Hearing them singing my music instead of Radio Disney stuff
• The kids missing each other when the other one is gone
• The joy they get when giving us presents on special days
• And the list could go on for miles…

I’m so thankful that I have the honor and privilege to be entrusted to be the father of my children. It is the most rewarding and frightening honor I could ever receive. They make every day feel like Father’s Day.