Whether or not you have kids, there are some things that apply here. The main thing is this: responsibility. 

There is a big difference, gentlemen, between being a “baby daddy” and being a DAD. We have too many “baby daddies,” (and we seem to be very proud of that these days) and very few DADS.

Being a DAD helps you to actually “man up.” You aren’t the sexual conqueror any more. You stick around and make sure your kids get taken care of, and not just by yelling at the mom… who, by the way, should be called your wife, not “my woman,” or “that chick,” or something else that degrades the powerful and wonderful status of that female who went through nine months of bringing new life into this world, not to mention the hours of labor to birth that baby.

Being a DAD helps me be a better man. I realize I am not on this planet for myself. There is a responsibility to take care of something that is truly a gift to me. My boys are incredible gifts. It is a treasure to watch them come into manhood and know I had a small part in making that happen.

And I know it wasn’t all me. It was grandparents, friends, teachers, coaches, youth pastors, people at church, neighbors, etc., who came alongside to assist. But it WAS me who made sure that was facilitated. It WAS me who made sure I had the job so that my boys could have the basics, even if they weren’t the accessories that everyone else seemed to have.

I know there are men who aren’t dads. What I am saying is this: Get out of your mama’s basement and realize there is more to life than your online games, making funny bodily noises, and staying up late for yourself.

Go find a way to DO something for someone else. Coach a team. Mentor a student. Be a Big Brother. SOMETHING that gets you out of that nasty basement and makes you put on a fresh shirt from time to time!

Being a DAD makes me a better MAN because I realize I must live for more than myself. 

To my incredible wife, thank you for giving me the gift of fatherhood. Thank you for being the incredible mother that deserves far more credit for three amazing sons than I do. Thank you for your amazing love that will always make me a better man.

To Joshua, Josiah, and Jared, you are stretched to other places today, so we will only be together by phone calls… except for Jared who is in Guatemala, and Josiah who dumped his phone in Gooseberry Falls last week… so Joshua… PHONE HOME! 😉

To my three great boys and my first amazing daughter-in-law Lisa: thank you for the gift you give me every single day of my life. That gift is to think of each one of you multiple times and know that you are amazing and loving and godly. You are becoming amazing people who will bring salt and light to this world and this is all the legacy this man will ever need.