Father's Day...

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~Clarence Budington Kelland

On this Father's Day, I took some time to reflect on my childhood and enjoyed some fond memories.

I remember hanging out with my dad watching movies, and wearing the 3-D glasses around the house wondering how they worked. I remember the milkshakes Dad made,

and realize now how frustrating it is that I can't recreate that same taste.

I was truly blessed to have a father who was interactive, and involved in my everyday. He coached my softball team, came to parent-teacher conferences, and was supportive when I was slathered in makeup for dance competitions.

He told me I was capable of doing anything I put my mind to, but was protective enough that I worried about doing anything that could get me into enough trouble to ruin my future.

Even now we share a similar sense of humor, and I feel like I can talk to him about anything going on and get a honest opinion back.

I wondered when Jakob and I got married, how the transition with the in-laws would be, purely because my father and I are so close, and I wasn't sure how I would bond with Jakob's dad. I am very fortunate in that he took me in as family (even before the wedding) and now I'm getting

an insight on a different type of parental relationship. I'm seeing how father-son bonding is different than father-daughter.

For instance, my father and I may talk while he's fixing the car, but it's never about actually fixing the car. And if Jakob's dad would never ask me if I had "honorable" intentions when we started dating.

All in all, we are still very fortunate to both still have ability to enjoy our father's at this point in our life.

Now my generation are becoming father's themselves, and I wonder how their children will view them. Will they see the fun-loving father, or the disciplinarian. Will the children grow up to hold similar values as were instilled on our generation, or has that been lost in this society that doesn't slow down to think about the repercussions.