Happy Father’s Day to Lee & Dwayne by Shauntae White

Fathers are rarely praised for a job well-done. I am even guilty of forgetting Father’s Day year after year. However, a father’s role is especially important in a child’s life. For a young boy, a present father can lead him down a road towards success while an absentee father can lead him down a path toward deterioration and ruin. Just the act of having a loving father instills confidence and security in a young boy’s life; something that may be difficult to recreate.

For a young girl, having a father in the home is invaluable. A present father will teach a young girl what she may learn to accept from her own relationships in the future. A strong father-daughter relationship lays the groundwork to show how a young woman will learn to not only love a partner but how she will love herself. This is something that I have been blessed with.

 Growing up, not many children had what they called the “luxury” of having a father in the home and present. I have been extremely blessed to have not one, but two great men who deserve kudos in my life: my father and my husband. My father has always been my right hand, my biggest supporter, my friend. He has always been someone whom I could talk to no matter how trivial or profound, he has and continues to support my family and I.

He has always been giving, loving, and a forgiving man. After escorting me down the aisle on my wedding day, he has passed the torch to my incredible husband. The love and respect that I have for him is unmatched. He is not only my husband but my friend. He doesn’t condemn me for being childish or impractical.

Marriage and romantic relationships can sometimes be difficult with the merging of opinions and beliefs; however, we have been able to bind our opinions through respect and love for one another. He is an awesome, caring father, and it truly makes my heart smile to see him care and interact with our children in the way that he does. He fosters and protects my heart and the emotions of our children.  My husband was also raised by a great man who has made him into the incredible father he is today.

Happy Father’s Day to two great men that have shaped and steered me down a path of love and protection. May this serve as a thank you for the many years of caring for my boys and me!

Happy Father’s Day to Lee and Dewayne