Sunday, June 20, 2021
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Fatherhood is less about biology than about showing up, since we may parent the children of another man because of our love for their mother, or we may partner with another man and adopt. However we get there, the journey of healthy fatherhood begins with the awareness that parenthood is a life-changing process. We don’t have to have all the answers, but we need to be a willing pupil. We will have to learn a whole new set of communication skills as our offspring pass from infant to teenager and beyond.
In addition to the rewards and challenges inherent in each developmental stage, fatherhood will call forth illuminating qualities from deep within us that we did not imagine we possessed. Making our children a priority by being fully present with them and gifting them our time is a great bounty beyond what we might provide materially for their betterment. Our presence is the best present! We honor them as our teachers because they test our kindness and patience in innumerable, unimaginable ways. They’ll make us laugh as never before, reminding us of the playfulness we may have lost along the way.
Remaining clean and sober is the best gift I can give my children.
Hazelden Foundation
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