Fathers Day Celebrates Fatherhood

This Sunday, June 21 is our day to honor Fathers. I have to stand up and publicly honor my own Father first.
My Dad was a Nebraska born and raised man who really was a City guy, living on a farm. Both he and his brother became professionals, my Dad an Attorney and my uncle a Doctor. During WW2 both left the farm for good. My dad enlisted in the Army, learned how to fly a plane, but became part of the Army Judge Advocates office. They transferred him to San Francisco at the now defunct Army base called the Presidio. This is where he met my Mother and they were married in 1952.
Recalling the many lessons I took away from my Dad one stands out above all. That one lesson is “Men work”. This simple lesson was acted out in his daily behavior as he got up early, commuted on the train to San Francisco and came home late. If he was sick, he worked. When fellow attorneys and Judges would tempt him to go off to Tahoe or other diversions, he worked.
The reverse corollary was also enforced. If you don’t work as a man, you are simply not much of a man. I know this sounds harsh in today’s overly effeminate society, but I still adhere to rule number one, that men work. He made sure I understood that if you take money from the State, the County or the Federal Government, you better be working for them, or make that period very, very short. Men in his day would never seek welfare payments, and they made sure their son’s would not either.
This comes at a time in our history when many homes are marked by absentee fathers, as the Welfare state has attempted to take the place of the Father. The media seem to constantly be beating up on fatherhood in general. How many movies or TV shows have Fathers who resemble something responsible, loving and manly? To what extent does such treatment pervert our son's developing attitudes about the men they are expected to become? What are we teaching our daughters - that there's no real hope or need to marry a strong, reliable man of character? Timeless messages about the wisdom of fathers in shows like 'Father Knows Best' have disappeared. They just aren't politically correct. Most of our kids are being raised in an anti-male culture that spews the mantra of radical feminism.
My family has the reverse rule set. My wife made sure I understood that when I married her, being a good father was critical not only to our potential children but to her as well. My wife made me a much better father by helping me understand how fathers are so critical to the development of children. Especially girl children. I learned while raising my girls that spending time with them was really important, and making more money was not important.
I also learned the simple truth is that most women are better persons when they have a good man to rely on. I am sure some readers don’t believe this, but I do. We need to let our boys know that one of the greatest contributions they can make as adults is to be strong fathers who are committed to their families.
The big goals in life for men boil down to two. Being a good husband and a good father. Work accomplishments may make the world take notice, but to me that is only a means to an end. I work to support my family and a huge part of my mindset - and most fathers I know – is to ask ourselves continually “are we doing enough to raise our kids properly?”
Here is what my favorite President, Ronald Reagan said about Fathers.

“Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession. On Father's Day each year, we express formally a love and gratitude whose roots go deeper than conscious memory can recite. It is only fitting that we have this special day to pay tribute to those men -- our natural fathers, adoptive fathers and foster fathers -- who deserve our deepest respect and devotion. It is equally fitting, as we recall the ancient and loving command to honor our fathers, that we resolve to do so by becoming ourselves parents and citizens who are worthy of honor."