Fathers Day: What Being A Dad Means To Me

I seem to say it almost every day, but time travels so, so fast! This is already my third Fathers Day as a Dad and my first as a Father of two. My first Fathers Day seems like it was just yesterday! I'm always grateful to receive cards and gifts but I honestly mean it when I say that having those two gifts from God in my life are the only gifts I could ever want or need. I feel blessed every day that I can call myself a Dad to such incredible children. But what does being a Dad actually mean? To me, it means numerous things.

• Being a Dad is all consuming, expensive, exhausting, challenging and has completely stripped me of my ability to be spontaneous. But it's also improved my life and my character beyond measure. For all of the sacrifices that comes with it, being a Dad forces me to be a better person. I know that I have to improve in every single area to set the right kind of example, and that kind of motivation doesn't grow on trees.
• Being a Dad is the chance to leave a legacy worth leaving. The people my children grow to be will have (in part) been moulded by me, my discipline, teachings and actions. When I pass and leave this world, there will be a small piece of me left behind in each of my children and by that I am humbled.
• Being a Dad is what transformed me from a boy to a man. No longer am I care free without responsibility. The day I became a parent was the day that I realised that my decisions would no longer affect me and me alone, but the impact would spread much further. Embarking on a journey into Fatherhood was the day that I realised that my actions and behaviour would shape the morals and principles of a new generation in my family.
• Being a Dad is believing in love at first sight.
• Being a Dad is the privilege of being reborn and having the ability to discover the world all over again. I get no greater joy than seeing my children experience something new and watching their eyes, mind and senses come to grips with the wonders of our world.
• Being a Dad is being proud. It's embracing happiness and recognising the small things in life and learning how to see good in them.

Being a Dad is life changing and a lesson that never ends, but it's a lesson I would take over and over. The struggle is immense and the challenge is incomparable to anything in life, but the rewards are just as unrivalled. At times I hate being a Dad, but never for longer than a split second. It's the best job in the world and I'd swap my life for no ones!

Happy Fathers Day to all the great Dads in the world. Hug your kids and recognise the fact that they're responsible for ensuring you're striving to be better and be the best man you can possibly be.