“Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow”. ~Reed Markham
Here I stand, toes curled along the wet edge of the pool, hesitant to dive into the sparking blue pool of Daddy blogging. Will the water be ice cold? Will I struggle when it gets too deep? Will I look lost as others swim with confidence, while I doggy paddle along? The funny thing is, thinking back four short years ago, I asked myself the same questions in regards to being a new Father. The analogy fits both scenarios like a well worn glove.
Four years ago, it now seems like a lifetime ago, my Wife Jaclyn and I were blessed to have our twins, Connor & Grace, or Sissy as you will often hear her called, join our crazy world. When hearing that we have twins, people will often wonder how we do it. My usual response is, we don’t know any other way. The twins were our first, and possibly only, offspring. We didn’t plan to be responsible for two new lives at once, but as I’m fond of saying, the Lord does not give you more than you can handle at a given time.
So over the past four years I have made quite a few mistakes, learned quite a few things, and actually surprised myself on several occasions with what I did know. The most important thing I have learned is that balance is the key to everything. As a Dad you must balance many things, being a friend and being a parent, being lenient and being strict, being overprotective and allowing them to fly on they’re own. These are issues that all Dads must balance, throw in the fact that I also have to deal with two distinct personalities, let alone two different sexes, and the stage is set for all kinds of shenanigans. Many of these I will be sharing with you each week, and I hope I can bring across on paper the glee, sadness, worry & belly laughter that makes us tick. So you may find that balance will be a familiar theme in my musings, this is because it is something that I strive to find every single day. I am confident that most, if not all, of you will be able to relate.
So, in closing, I am excited and honored to be able to share my thoughts and words with all of you. I encourage your feedback, as I hope my words inspire all of you to share your experiences, Fatherhood is a journey, one that I believe is best shared amongst friends. So, let’s grab a beer, lace up our sneakers, and take a stroll.
