Today is Father’s Day and I’ve decided to do something different. I’ve interviewed a couple of different father’s, family and friends, to get their take on fatherhood. Sometimes it feels as if we do not hear much from the men who are there, every single day, helping in raising their children. Let’s get inside their heads for a bit and learn how they feel about fatherhood as well as their hopes for their children’s future. Enjoy!
Michael (My Husband -1 child)
1. How close are you to your father? – Not as close as I would like to be.
2. What was your favorite thing to do together & why? – Playing chess with him. It was a moment that was just us, sitting at a table engaged in an intellectual and strategic battle. It was one of the first games he taught me and I valued those moments we played.
3. How did your father shape you into the father you are today? – He always showed me compassion and understanding and I hope my son can say the same for me one day.
4. What is your favorite thing to do with our son? – Play and teach him things. Converse with him.
5. What does fatherhood mean to you? – Loving someone much more than yourself and anyone else.
6. What makes fatherhood exciting and fun? – Experiencing the growth and changes over the years and seeing those changes. Experiencing the milestones while enjoying the moment is exciting and fun.
7. What are the difficulties of being a father? – Having patience.
8. What are your hopes for our son in the future? – That our son becomes the man he wants to be while having the morals and standards we instilled in him.
9. What advice would you give a new father? – Try your best to be patient. Support your wife. Enjoy every moment. Sleep when you can.
10. If you could pick and choose what to do on Father’s Day, what would it be? – To spend it with my family.
Christopher (Best Friend – 2 children)
1. How close are you to your father? – I am very close with my step father.
2. What was or is your favorite thing to do together and why? – Talking. He gives great advice and his honest opinions.
3. How did your step father shape you into the father you are today? – He showed me the importance of responsibility and what it is to work hard to take care of your family.
4. What is your favorite thing to do with your sons? – I enjoy playing video games with my oldest and the little imaginary adventures my youngest comes up with.
5. What does fatherhood mean to you? – Fatherhood to me, means not only preparing your children for this world, but being an example of a responsible adult. As well as giving all the love and support your children need.
6. What makes fatherhood exciting and fun? – Watching my children grow and learn new things.
7. What are the difficulties of being a father? – Time management, with work, spending quality time with the kids but also finding time for yourself.
8. What are your hopes for your children in the future? – That they are healthy and happy in whatever path they choose.
9. What advice would you give a new father? – Enjoy every moment and remember the little things.
10. If you could pick and choose what to do on Father’s Day, what would it be? – Have a nice quiet day with my family.
Dwayne (Brother-in-Law – 3 children)
1. How close are you to your father? – Close.
2. What was or is your favorite thing to do together and why? – I have no preference; Anything.
3. How did your father shape you into the father you are today? – Everything he didn’t show me, that I needed to show my children.
4. What is your favorite thing to do with your children? – Play with them and teach them.
5. What does fatherhood mean to you? – Being there for your children. Teaching them morals and responsibility.
6. What makes fatherhood exciting and fun? – Just knowing you have little ones looking up to you and you can show them how to walk the right path in life.
7. What are the difficulties of being a father? – Making sure you’re not too hard on your kids and making sure you’re setting the right example.
8. What are your hopes for your children in the future? – To become a better man then I am and for my daughters to become better. To have important values.
9. What advice would you give a new father? – Make sure you’re a great example.
10. If you could pick and choose what to do on Father’s Day, what would it be? – Chillax with my family.
Richie (Family Friend – 2 children)
1. Are you close are you to your father? – No
2. What was or is your favorite thing to do together and why? – Nothing.
3. How did your father shape you into the father you are today? – Showed me to be a better father.
4. What is your favorite thing to do with your children? Everything I do with them is enjoyable.
5. What does fatherhood mean to you? – Guiding my kids to the right path of life.
6. What makes fatherhood exciting and fun? – Being a father in general makes it fun and for kids looking forward to be spending time with me.
7. What are the difficulties of being a father? – Making time for my kids.
8. What are your hopes for your children in the future? – Success.
9. What advice would you give a new father? – Welcome a new journey of life.
10. If you could pick and choose what to do on Father’s Day, what would it be? – Street race with my son.
Fidel (High School Friend-2 Children)
1. Are you close are you to your father? – Very close.
2. What was or is your favorite thing to do together and why? – Discuss politics, sports and the Bible.
3. How did your father shape you into the father you are today? – I saw what he did and I guess I copied.
4. What is your favorite thing to do with your children? – I love to watch sports with my daughter’s and play them as well with them.
5. What does fatherhood mean to you? – The greatest chance to have the best responsibility ever.
6. What makes fatherhood exciting and fun? – The outcome and smiles I see on their faces.
7. What are the difficulties of being a father? – Trying to keep up with the other influences whether it be bad or good that are there and compete with them.
8. What are your hopes for your children in the future? – I hope that my daughters get all the opportunities available to be what they want to be no matter their gender or ethnicity.
9. What advice would you give a new father? – To always keep a love warming household. Show as much affection towards them. Always recognize the mistakes they made and others have made and learn from them.
10. If you could pick and choose what to do on Father’s Day, what would it be? – Spend the day with my dad and daughters watching and playing soccer.
Jorge “OJ” (God-brother- 2 children)
1. Are you close are you to your father? – Not close at all. In actuality, I’ve never met him , nor know who he is.
2. What was or is your favorite thing to do together and why? – N/A
3. How did your father shape you into the father you are today? – Well. He shaped me in the sense of knowing what kind of father i didn’t want to be.
4. What is your favorite thing to do with your children? – Building Lego things.
5. What does fatherhood mean to you? – Fatherhood means to me being able to inspire kids to do good, be good and follow their dreams.
6. What makes fatherhood exciting and fun? – Learning from my kids. We as adults sometimes think we know so much and lose humility in not knowing everything.
7. What are the difficulties of being a father? – The times when things are out of your control, like when they get sick or fall.
8. What are your hopes for your children in the future? – My hope is that they will grow up to be stand up people, use common sense and logic and be kind to our fellow man to the best of their ability.
9. What advice would you give a new father? – Have patience, above all else.
10. If you could pick and choose what to do on Father’s Day, what would it be? – Hmmmm. Jamaica, Hawaii. Send me somewhere tropical and quiet.
Thank you to all of the men who let me interview them. I hope we all learned a few things about what it means to be a father. No matter how close or distant these men have been from their own fathers, you can see just how much they treasure being father’s themselves. You can see how they all wish to simply teach their children well and spend time with their families. I hope that all of the father’s out there who are working hard to provide for their family, who are instilling morals and values into their children, know how much they are appreciated. We thank you for being there; being a backbone for your family. Enjoy your your Father’s Day to the fullest!
– Jennie G.
The chronicles of a stay-at-home mom 