Before you know it, you'll be collecting gaudy ties and useless cufflinks, gushing over homemade pencil holders fashioned from coffee cans and construction paper, and bravely wearing cheap cologne purchased with the contents of plundered piggy banks. You'll gamely smile at inexpert artwork adorning handmade cards that proclaim you "The World's Best Dad." And chances are you'll treasure these humble offerings more than all the department store finery you've ever received or admired.
The reason is simple: Humble gifts from your own child pack more heart per square inch than all the merchandise from the local sporting goods store combined. When your child declares that you're the best dad there ever was, you'll know he means it; no strings attached. When she tells you she loves you, you'll know with utter certainty that she does - unconditionally, completely and irrevocably. And that's worth more than a new set of golf clubs any day.
Dads don't always get the appreciation they deserve. As an expectant father, you've probably noticed that your wife gets an amazing amount of attention. Obviously she's doing most of the hard work, but give yourself some credit - you're doing a lot too. From offering moral support, reassurance, and patience and to bearing at least some of the considerable financial burden, you've got you're work cut out for you. And that baby certainly didn't get there on its own. But chances are you're accustomed to standing aside while your wife basks in the glare of the pregnancy spotlight. After the baby comes you'll quickly find yourself relegated to third fiddle, and you'll probably get used to that, as well.
Father's Day is your chance to steal back some of the glory, if only fleetingly. It's a day arbitrarily designated to gently remind us all of the day-to-day importance of fathers. You've probably celebrated your own dad on his day for years. Now, as you become a parent, you'll begin to truly appreciate what fatherhood meant - and, if you're fortunate enough to still have him in your life - continues to mean to him. You'll get an inkling, too of what you mean to him. Once a man holds his baby for the first time he's a different man in some subtle, but important way. It changes him forever, and there's no turning back.
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