Two out of three of our grandsons with that message to their dad on camera isn’t bad.
And while winning two-out-of-three ballgames isn’t a sweep, it’s still more than the other guys.
Keep either effort consistent – loving those in your family, and not losing on the field – and the investment – and the record – will one day speak for itself.
The French have a proverb: “Bonne renommee vaut mieux que ceinture doree.” Loosely translated the meaning is: “a good name is the best of all treasures.”
Is there a better gold-embossed nameplate for your CEO door; or engraved paperweight rock for your desk; or little voice on the phone in the middle of an important meeting, that says ‘dad’?
Charles Swindol thinks not.
In his book “Man to Man,” Swindol writes of the legacy left him by his dad. Lessons taught not so much by word as by deed. That of “tenderly caring for my wife”; and going to work each morning to save for that little guy’s college education that would otherwise very likely be impossible; and “keeping my shoes shined, staying at a task until it is finished, speaking up rather than mumbling.”
If children are to learn, Swindol writes, “how to stand alone (if necessary) in support of their personal convictions rather than giving in to more popular opinions” – a sure-fire gang participation prevention strategy – then, as Swindol suggests, such indebtedness will belong “to the man who raised me.”
“If absent fathers are the root of the tree, gangs are some of its bitter fruit,” opines Jennifer Oliver O’Connell in her column for “The Washington Times.”
“If fathers were actively, lovingly involved in their sons’ and daughters’ lives, gangs would find no one to recruit. Gangs fill the vacuum left by the withered families and ruined communities that are a hallmark of American life.”
The painted designation on the police car that passed me the other day needs to be a bumper sticker on every dad’s car: “Gang Prevention Unit.”
As in the days of Batman – and friends – superheroes, there remain foes to face, floods to stem, villains to conquer, and a home – and those within it – to protect.
To be honored with hero, let alone superhero, status; to realize real gains in the future upon which America depends; to be other than a cartoon character, dads can and must do what dads do best: be present, interested and involved in their child’s life.
After all, there’s no greater privilege, no higher accolade, no ‘interruption’ more important than hearing ‘I love you dad.’
That little guy in the middle? He’ll come around. That’s the kind of dad he has.
