Thursday, February 01, 2007

I believe fatherhood isn't science

I am the father of four, a husband, and a cop. I will admit that I am not the model of the perfect father. I have been mean toward my children at times. I have yelled at them when they were not doing anything other than having a good time. I have at times looked at my role as a father in terms of an Alpha male role making a point to show my sons who is boss. But none of this should be new to any father who is reading this. I believe fatherhood is not a science. It is not something that can be written down in terms that are universal or rational. Fatherhood is not guided by any set of rules other than the ones that each father makes in his own head. This is evidenced by the many bad fathers as by the many good fathers. We all have a vision of what we want to be as fathers.

When it comes to our kids though all our ideas get blown out of the water. We may want to play our favorite sport with our kids but what if they just aren't well coordinated. We want to read them bedtime stories but we can't get past the first page without losing their attention. All the things that we think we know become just sand blown in the wind. I try though and maybe that is the best that anyone can ask for. It should not be the only thing our kids deserve they deserve the best.