Fathers

"Fathers, be good to your daughters,

Daughters will love like you do."

-John Mayer

Today is the 100th anniversary of Father's Day.  Tomorrow will mark sixteen years since my own dad passed away.  It seems like a lifetime ago and a day ago all at the same time.  While my memory in some areas sometimes fails me, I don't believe I'll ever forget every raw detail of June 21, 1994.  Death -- my dad's, especially -- seemed to so define my early teenage years that I have a hard time recalling more than a handful of childhood events.  Still, my impressions of the kind of dad I had haven't faded.  I'll always remember my dad as being my biggest fan.  Anything that was important to me was important to him.  He was a practical joker, an intelligent businessman, a friend and role-model to many, and one who, even in death, has never left my side.  I like to think he'd be proud of me today.

Todd is the father that came into my life when we were all least expecting it.  He never hesitated to be the father-figure we needed, all while being sensitive to the fact that we'd already be given a dad.  Todd has loved me as deeply as any father could, and he's been a constant voice of reason in my life.  I will always believe that having two dads in my lifetime was part of a greater plan, and that Todd's presence in my life is proof that silver lining exists.

As a mom, one of my greatest blessings is the fact that I have a front row seat everyday to watch Steve as a father.  I have to be honest: when we met as 19-year-olds, I wasn't sure he had it in him.  But as is probably the case with most first-time dads, I think his "Parenting Lightbulb" went off the moment Sara was born.  He was a changed man as of 8:07 a.m. on December 11, 2008, and he hasn't veered from dad-mode ever since.  I'd never known him to love as fiercely and as passionately as he did in those moments surrounding Sara's arrival, and as he has every moment since.  Steve is an attentive, sensitive, hands-on dad, and Sara absolutely adores him.  I know that he will always make Sara feel safe and loved, and I couldn't ask for more.    

Let's give all the dads out there an extra hug, high-five, or fist pump today, even if they missed the laundry basket again or had yet another memory lapse regarding what to do with dirty dishes.  We never said we loved them because they followed household rules ... we love them because we know that nobody will ever love us or our babies the way they do.