Being a father

  I've been a dad for the last 22 years and both of my kids just keep getting better with age. I've always said the older they get, the cooler they get. As some of you know fatherhood is not easy and is all consuming, yet it's the most rewarding job I've ever had.
  Now, I'm not gonna tell you how to raise your kids, cause everyone has their own ideas and I think that there is more than one right way to go about it. What I can pass on to ya, is that you'll need to put you're childish ways aside, grow up and become the man your kid is gonna need and be the father they will look up to as an example of what a man is.
  Now when I say childish ways, I'm not telling you to quit having fun or that fatherhood is deadly serious all the time (just some of the time). But you will need to realign your priorities. Since you're now part of a family, you are not the most important person in the world, the little person you just created is. It's now time to step up, cause this is not part time, it's full time and you will be a father for the rest of your life. There is a delicate balance you need to maintain. You don't  want to lose track of the person you truly are, or those traits and traditions you want to pass on to your child. If you have a boy child, you will need to show him how to become a man and if you have a girl child, you'll need to show her how a man takes care of his family and the kind of man that makes a good father.

  I'm lucky enough to have a next door neighbor that is a shining example of a guy that should have never been allowed to breed. He's a person that should never have the word father associated with him. I leave for work well before the sun comes up, but, I'm also usually home in the afternoon before most other people. And there's probably three to four days of the week when I come home that this guy (I can't call him a man or a father) is standing in his open garage door drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. This wouldn't be so bad, except, this is where the neighbor has been standing for at least half the day. He also, unfortunately, has a daughter, plus the baby and mom live there also, and a couple more of her family. But this piece of crap, who is probably close to thirty,  would rather stand around all day smoking cigarettes and hanging out with the younger boys rather than step up and take care of his family like a man should. He's told me all his stories about where he use to work and where he wants to work (we've already talked about guys that are all talk and no action) and I'm really over it all. He just seems a little to comfortable living on a hand out and blaming everyone else for his lack of employment and the few times he's been out front with his daughter, he seems completely incompetent and removed from her.
  So you need to get over it tough guy and learn how to hold that baby and change diapers and become a father. Once you've mastered that part the little bugger will get bigger and the set of challenges will change and they'll keep changing, so you'll need to stay on your toes. There won't be a lot of time for you to be consumed with yourself. Your little person will ask you questions you never thought you'd be asked and you won't have the answers for. Keep cool, don't sweat it, you can find the answer together. But you will need to be the most genuine person you have ever been. The truths you will tell and the situations you'll find yourself in with your child will stagger you.
  Another thing you'll need to develop is tough skin, because there will be times when your child will hate you with every fiber of their being. But keep the situation in perspective, try to understand your child's point of view and try not to throw gas on the fire. Let everyone cool down and you'll find that the whole thing is usually not that big a deal, and when everyone is calm, it's easier to talk about what's going on. Remember that sometimes you need to be an authority figure first, and a friend second. That's not always easy, cause we all want to be liked and as a father, that's not always the case. But those moments are fleeting and you'll be surprised at the amount of love that you will receive from the little monster. They have this ability of blowing you away with the mountains of love they send your way.
  So take care of 'em, feed 'em, clothe 'em and give 'em shelter. Add some water and lots of love and you will be amazed at what cool human beings they will become.