A Father's Perspective

I have a tradition of posting to my blog on father’s day. Typically, I write about what I see from the perspective of a son. This year I am looking from the perspective of a father. I have two children. Both are very talented and have an impressive record of achievement. My daughter just graduated from Vanderbilt which a degree in Biomedical Engineering. My son, a rising junior in high school, was recently accepted to the University of Georgia as a dual enrollment student. He will start taking freshman college classes while he finishes high school. They are both wield more academic prowess than their dad who took 20 years to get his bachelor's degree. 

Music is a family tradition and both my kids are excellent musicians. There is nothing more satisfying than performing with your family. After a recent band concert in which both my son and I played, we took a picture of Grandfather, Dad, Son, and Daughter. A love of music passed from each generation to the next. I believe that my children's musical training has helped them immeasurably in their academic success and their poise. They are both natural leaders – inspiring the people around them to excel. Best of all, they are really nice people. I can't tell you how many times other parents who have had the opportunity to spend time with my kids have told me how impressed they were with them. 

Of course I mention these things to brag, but also to point out that these two outstanding young people are my father’s day gift 24-7. Nothing they can buy can compete with the people they have become. I don’t believe anyone can express in words the emotions, pride, and love a father experiences seeing the babies that he held become an engineer, or rip through a Scott Joplin rag on the piano with gleeful abandon. Although I am in no hurry to be a grandfather, I do hope that my children will both raise children one day. The truth is, you can’t really know how much your parents love you until you are a parent yourself. My children have the intellectual, creative, and interpersonal gifts to make the world a better place for the rest of us. Come to think of it, they already do!