" A person's father is not who he actually was but rather who we thought he was at the time."
---- Unknown.
Happy Father's Day!
One day each year is dedicated to remembering, honoring and appreciating father. Various definitions and connotations and emotions surround this emotionally charged word. We all harbor important feelings about this man. The definition of father is as subjective and open to personal interpretation as any other word in the standard dictionary,
Was dad a paragon of virtue worthy of emulation and praise? A man of outstanding principles and honesty? Did he teach us right from wrong? Did he support his family well and provide the emotional foundation the family needed to sustain themselves through difficult times?
Was he an absentee parent who spent a great deal of his working life trying to support his family and provide lodging, food and the basic necessities to sustain his family and their needs. Did he endure the tough times with a sense of humor and appreciation for his spouse and offspring and not curse them as being burdens? Did he teach his children to enjoy each day and not let the small misfortunes of life disrupt their overall happiness?
Was the man we called father a pal to us in our times of confusion and need? Did he take time to give us the one-on-one support that we as children needed to understand our world? Did he value our opinion and not become overly critical of us and our shortcomings? Did he teach us how to respect ourselves and others? Did he love life and bestow that love of life on to his children?
Was your father a surrogate dad? Was he a friend, uncle or neighbor who provided us the emotional support and understanding we desperately needed to make it through a personally challenging day? Could he have been a step dad who tried his best to be there for you and your mother?
We tend to remember our parents not as the people they actually were but rather how they interacted with us and life at the time. As we are maturing and growing up we tend not to fully appreciate the struggle and the sacrifices our parents make for us. Our challenges as children are short term day to day events and clouded our opinions of our parents. Our parents had to plan for the long term and guide themselves and their actions to appreciate the big picture. We as children had to plan for the next day..at school..play..whatever.
However you remember your father please appreciate the fact that he was only human and subject to the same pressures and emotions and temptations that you yourself are probably experiencing right now. Plan to spend some quality time today with your father and let him know that you love him very much and appreciate the effort he made and the struggles he overcame to face the challenges life throws in each of our lives.
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information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
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