Happy Father's Day to all the real-life, honest to goodness Dads!!!

Sunday, June 17, 2007 9:36 PM

This day can't pass by without me taking the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Father's Day.  I was a little sentimental today...hey, I can't help it, I was born with maternal genes!  As usual, since it is a holiday, I make special plans to make certain that the people I value know how important they are to me.  Weeks ago, I started looking for special cards.  They had to be perfect and the words had to have deep meaning.  Geez, I hate sounding so sappy!  Well, as you can imagine, since I try to make it into such a big deal, I've been contemplating this posting for far too long...waiting for the perfect words to flow from my fingertips. 

Umm...I'm still waiting for the perfection....so while I wait for the perfect words to magically pop into my head, I'm going to write from my heart instead. 

Millions of men are fathers...even more will become fathers one day.  There are Grandfathers, Fathers, Step-fathers, Godfathers (no, not the kind of guys on the Sopranos!) and Fathers In Law.  When you consider these additional categories of fathers, it must add billions of men to the total number of fathers in the world.  Wow.  Isn't it amazing to think of?  I sure am thankful for all of the men who are fathers...after all, I wouldn't be here without mine!

It's obvious that we all have fathers, but the question is, how many of us are lucky enough to have a real-life, honest to goodness Dad?  To me, there is a huge difference between a father and a dad.

I am lucky enough to know an honest to goodness, real-life Dad.  Funny thing is, this man isn't my father.  His own children probably don't even know how lucky they are...but I know it.  Believe me, I've seen tons of fathers in my life, but once you experience a real dad, please offer him your respect and appreciation in large doses, because the real ones are hard to find.  Once you find a real dad, they are easy to recognize.  Here are some very simple ways to distinguish a real-life, honest to goodness dad from a father.

• He works hard to be a parent to his children, even when he's exhausted.
• He is a coach (sports, life, relationships, education, love) and instead of yelling from the sidelines, he's on the field with his children teaching the plays.
• He is a critic who doesn't allow poor choices to be ignored, but instead raises his expectations and won't consider allowing anyone to deliver less.
• He is a cheerleader who hands out praise and recognition when it's deserved and makes certain that others know just who it is he's cheering for.
• He has taught his children that they are his priority and that nothing is more important than his family.
• He is a teacher who applies each of his lessons to his own life - by giving his time, love and attention whenever possible.
• He is such a positive role model that you want your children to hang out with him too!
• He is human.  He makes mistakes, but recognizes them and tries to better himself every step of the way.
• He accepts the responsibility of being a real dad, and in fact, he loves the work!
• He makes certain that everyone he values knows how important they are to him.  

To all of the men in the world who strive to be a real-life, honest to goodness Dad every day, I wish you a very special Father's Day.  I also want to thank you, from the heart, for being a good man, for doing the right things(even though it's much more difficult), for caring so much about making the world better.  Our lives are much better for having had the opportunity to know you.  Your children, along with every child you influence, will make this world a brighter place.

Happy Father's Day!

Babe