COLUMN: Father’s Day is a day for counting your blessings

I haven’t always been the best father and by that I

really mean I haven’t always been the best husband but there isn’t a ‘Husband’s

Day’ to write this column on and I totally see why. We can be tough to deal

with, and by we I mean men, but back on topic, I haven’t always been the best

father. My youngest son, Chase, three years old, is my carbon copy in way too

may ways to mention and I believe that’s he’s the good Lord’s way of giving me

one last shot at this good father/good husband thing. It helps that I’m also 40

years old, well employed and too old to still be making the same mistakes I

made in my 20’s and early 30’s. Father’s Day is my personal reminder that I

have been blessed to be a father, have a great wife and kids and be able to be

doing what I love for a living. Father’s Day is a blessed reminder of those

things.

Chase and I spend pretty much every weekday

afternoon that I’m home from work and every weekend playing t-ball, soccer,

kick ball, riding bikes and whatever else we can get our hands on. The way I

grew up in the 80’s all you had was the games we played outside. Theses days I

can easily entertain my son within the four walls of my house but I rather be

outside sweating and running and thankfully Chase hasn’t had a problem with

that. Not that he had a choice. It’s a blessing either way though.

Having been a young father some eons ago, the

patience and skill necessary for the job at 36 years old when Chase was born

was easier for me than it will be for present and future yound dads. The one

and only thing I would like to pass down to them is that they’re lucky and

blessed to be in the position of fatherhood and to not waste a moment. I wasted

plenty moments worried about everything other than the kids and you won’t be

able to get those moments back. Go on the school trips if you can, read bedtime

stories and make milk come out of your nose at dinner sometimes, have dance

parties in the living room. Kids grow up fast.

For Father’s Day this Sunday I am planning on

grilling some chicken and cooking for the family. I understand that the cliche’

is for dad to sit back and relax while everything happens for him on this day.

The exact opposite will happen at the Suggs house this weekend however, I’m

going to be doing the work. I am extremely humbled by the blessing that is

fatherhood and I won’t ever forget it.

Happy Father’s Day fellas.

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