Thanks, Dad

While it may not be as celebrated as the bond between mother and child, father is probably the most important role a man can play in his life. Being a good father, a dad, transcends professional advancement, wealth and success in the business world. Ask any man with children if he’d rather be known as a brilliant businessman or a brilliant father, and there will be no hesitation in his answer.

That’s why we set aside today as Father’s Day, a day to celebrate dad and thank him for all he’s done for us. Thanks for those countless hours spent tossing a baseball in the backyard, thanks for the good-natured smiles and patience during those extended tea parties, thanks for holding on while we learned to ride a bicycle and thanks for letting go at the right time.

Most importantly, today we thank our fathers for teaching the next generations of men to be good fathers themselves. It’s through this example that boys learn how to be respectful, patient, loving and committed protectors for their wives and children.

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person,” legendary college basketball coach and cancer advocate Jim Valvano once said. “He believed in me.”

Truly, this is the greatest gift any parent can give, and that belief is something we hold for our families here in the Mat-Su. It’s easy to be the fun dad, the one who may let you get away with just a little bit more than mom will, but it takes a real man to be a father who instills this belief.

It’s a lesson former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver and return specialist Dante Hall learned from his father. Despite all his success as a professional football player and the millions of dollars and notoriety that goes along with it, he measures his success closer to home.

“I would want my legacy to be that I was a great son, father and friend,” he said.

It’s a legacy worthy of all parents and their children.

On this Father’s Day as we enjoy our barbecues and proudly wear our own hideous neckties and cheap cologne, we pay a loving tribute to the men who brought us to this day.

Thanks, Dad.