"I mean they don't grade fathers, but if your daughter is a stripper you f*cked up.” - Chris Rock
If you've never placed a bet in your life, it's a pretty safe one to assume most strippers have issues.
Every g-string diva has a story, and I can only speak for mine, which is your garden variety text book tale of father abandonment, followed by step-father abuse. This isn't to say I'm playing The Victim in my personal Lifetime Movie of the Week, nor do I seek pity from you readers. It just was what it was. I played with the cards I was dealt, and kept rolling the dice.
Every Father's Day, I find myself in awe of my male friends who not only take on their parental role, they actually engage in the lives of their children. I know men who
coach soccer, volunteer at swimming practice, sell Girl Scout cookies in the office, and organize Boy Scout Camping weekends. One of my buddies is so involved with his two boys he can't help but beam with pride in every Facebook photo he posts. You can see it in their eyes; the savoring of every moment caught on camera, moments that fly so fast, it makes you wonder where the time went.
Time, for a father is precious. I know some dads who put in 14 hour days at the office, when not traveling the globe for their career. The moments they have with their children fall by the waist side, becoming casualties in their war with the clock.
Balancing Life with children, for any parent is tough - but as a sole breadwinnng father - it can seem damn near impossible. It's no wonder some men throw in the towel and bail. Only the strong survive, and only the selfless remain.
I may never have the experiences of father-daughter dances, or feel the strength and security slipping under his covers after a nightmare, but I get immense joy in knowing there are fathers out there who are getting it right.
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A little something I wrote, for a card I made for a friend.
From the outside looking inFrom a girl who never knew
The strength in knowing he’s on your side
The feeling of being true
The safety in blind faith
Knowing he’s got your back
That he’ll pick you up, help dust you off
When you sometimes fall off track
Bedtime stories, pancake mornings
Singing songs off key
Cannon ball days, and popcorn nights
Every moment, golden memories
From the outside looking in
From a friend who knows your heart
I wish you the happiest of Father's Days
From Goodnight Moon's to shooting stars
- Christine Macdonald 2012
So tell me: How are you celebrating Father's Day this Sunday?
