The Power of Dads

Last month I wrote a piece about the power of moms on our children’s educational development in commemoration of Mother’s Day.

This Sunday is Father’s Day so now I'd like to pay tribute to our nation’s dads — and highlight the important role of fatherhood. Fathers model the behavior, values and character traits that prepare their children for success in school, work and life.

In that spirit President Obama, who models fatherhood by balancing the role of Commander-in-Chief and Dad-of-Two with great agility, is using his first Father’s Day in office to reflect on what being a father means to him. In a letter to Parade Magazine, President Obama calls on dads everywhere to ‘step up’:

On this Father’s Day, I am recommitting myself to that work, to those duties that all parents share: to build a foundation for our children’s dreams, to give them the love and support they need to fulfill them, and to stick with them the whole way through, no matter what doubts we may feel or difficulties we may face.

So this Sunday, we hope you take the time to thank your father — and fathers everywhere — for their hard work. And fathers, let’s all recommit to being more involved parents. For me, this means putting down the laptop and spending more time with my daughter.

How are you celebrating Father’s Day? How did your father prepare you for school, work and life?

Comments

[jack on June 19, 2009 at 10:45 PM]

If any of us needs further reminder of what being a father is all about, check out this video — www.ahamoment.com/pg/moments/view/1257 — it’s the story of one dad’s “aha moment” when he realized what was really important in his life. I think you’ll find it inspiring.

Thanks,

jack@ahamoment.com

[Algarve School on July 02, 2009 at 10:32 AM]

Fathers day at our school in Portugal was fantastic this year; especially for fathers of the primary school students. All the kids made gifts and these were presented with certificates to all of the fathers at the end of the day. The whole event was videod and then given to the fathers on DVD :)