Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you dad's out there!

What makes a good dad? Is it someone who plays ball with you? Someone who teaches you how to drive? Someone who will stand at the door drilling your first date? I guess we all have our own opinions about that.

It has been said that anyone can become a father but it takes a special man to be a dad! And I should know because I have both...I was adopted. My biological father, I was told, was a womanizer. There are stories that he "dated" several different women before, during and after I was conceived. So when my bio mother found out she was pregnant, she felt she had no other choice but to give me up to a family where I would be well taken care of. A family that would choose to be parents vs. it accidentally happening. And when I found my bio mother's sperm donor, he denied being my biological father, proving this point.

When Stan and Margie decided to become parents, it was a conscious decision and they had to go through a whole legal and financial process to finally get to be parents. So I feel extra blessed in that they were the parents who chose me. I mean, who knows where I would've ended up? And because of that, I'm fortunate to have what I consider a GREAT dad. He isn't great because he played ball with me when I was a kid...he didn't. And he isn't great because he gave all my dates the third degree at the front door...he didn't. He is great because he loved me the only way that he knew how and that was with all his heart. Oh yeah, and he taught me how to drive.

I've talked a bit about my mother in previous blog entries but I've never really talked about my dad. He's a very quiet man. Shy to a fault really. But he's a good man. He's honorable, trustworthy, hard-working and when push comes to shove, he can be pretty hard-nosed about certain things. He always puts his kids first, even now. This had always been a bone of contention between him and my late mother because she was raised to put your spouse first, kids second. So you can guess who we went to for anything, and who was the voice of reason, right? Even now, he gets flack from his long-time companion when he drops everything to be with or do things for his children. He's been a shining example, at least for me, of what a good parent is and I'm proud to have him for a father, oh excuse me...a dad.

When I was growing up I always "did the right thing" out of fear. Not for fear of getting caught and in trouble but mostly fear of disappointing my parents. The consummate people pleaser, I couldn't bear the thought of doing something that would make my parents think less of me. This might be due to some deep psychological abandonment issue from being adopted but it doesn't matter. The fact remains that I was a pretty good kid, for the most part, because I wanted them to be proud of me, always. And as a kid, you don't realize that good parents are always proud no matter what you do (within reason). Even as adults we strive to succeed, not just for ourselves but to continually hear our parents praise! My dad has always been good at this. He's never told me what to do with my life...even when I screwed it up! He's always let me make my mistakes but helped pick up the pieces whether it was with support, love or sometimes money. He's really taught me what it means to be a good parent.

So for all you dads out there, especially mine...the ones that love, support, nurture and guide your children to aspire to great things, Happy Father's Day! Hope you enjoy this day that celebrates the job of being a dad!

Other special dads I'd like to acknowledge:

My husband. Thank you love for being Kaylee's "dad" and thank you for loving our blended family the way you do. Nobody in this world would've made the sacrifices that you made to create such a beautiful family!

Roger. What a great father-in-law! He's the reason I have such a wonderful husband!

Grandpap Taormina for bringing my mother into this world and Grandpa Preston for bringing my dad into this world. Even though I never got to know you, I know there are parts of you that live in him.