I remember the day our son was born. It had been a difficult birth, 37 hours, and our son had come out sleepy from the Magnesium Sulfate I was given. It was a frightening experience, seeing his little body limp, not crying. He spent two days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Because I was hooked up to so many IV’s and not doing so well myself, I wasn’t able to see my son until the day after his birth.
My husband fed our son his first bottle. He stayed with him when I couldn’t, rubbed his little head, loved him. The day we brought him home, he panicked putting him into the car seat. He was so tiny, so new! We must have driven 20 miles per hour the whole way home, just to be safe.
The first few months were filled with “firsts” for us—first bath, first time realizing what sleep deprivation really meant, first time being responsible for another human being. At first my husband was afraid to hold our son. He did it, but seemed awkward, afraid that he would hurt him. Of course he didn’t. Then nighttime came, and he laid our son on his chest. Little did I know that would become his preferred position. My son lay on my husband’s chest every single day until he was four-years-old. Even now, at the age of five, he snuggles with his daddy.
When our daughter was born three years later, things were a little calmer, a little more relaxed. But still, my husband was there, from the first moment—holding, feeding, loving. Now our daughter is two, and a daddy’s girl all the way.
Today on Father’s Day, my husband had to work. And I’m sick. I didn’t make him breakfast in bed like I’d hoped to, but did get to spend some time just being with him before he left for the office.
I cannot thank my husband enough for the laughter he creates in our children. He’s never once had to be asked to help me feed them, bathe them, or play with them. He ‘s never had to be coaxed to change a diaper, or to lay with one of our children while they fell asleep. He’s just done it–because he loves them, and because he loves me.
So thank you, for the smile in our daughter’s eyes when you come in the room, for the excitement in our son’s voice when he knows you’re coming home, for the warmth you bring to our days, to our nights, to our family, to our lives.
Father’s are a treasure. A good father makes strong children, safe children, who feel loved, confident, and able. I’m lucky to have found that father for my children.
If this is your first Father’s Day, congratulations! You have a magical place in your child’s world. They will look to you for guidance, approval, and support. You’ll make them laugh like no one else can. And at the end of the day, if a tear should happen to fall, your arms will take them away faster than anyone else’s. You are the boogieman destroyer, the secret keeper, the pushover (sometimes)…you are DAD.
Happy Father’s Day. I hope your day is filled with love and joy.