Down the Rabbit Hole

Fatherhood Redefined...

This morning on my commute in I was listening to NPR as I sometimes do until I cross over the bridge and my New York-based am news station kicks in clearer. NPR has a feature on Fridays that I have become rather fond of called, StoryCorps. This is an admirable attempt to collect a varied oral history of people, places and events around the country. The story this morning, recorded by a man named Will Smith, left me very touched and in possession of a whole new respect for what makes a good father.

Will Smith, now an older man recently diagnosed with an serious illness, recalled the time when he went away to school at Bowdain College in Maine with his 18-month old daughter Olivia in tow. A single father, he spoke about the challenges of studying, working and carrying for his child. He took at night time job cleaning so he could bring his daughter along, often hiding her in closets to avoid detection. He talked about living in fear of his tiny roommate being discovered and of losing 27 pounds during those years from stress and because he often only had enough money to feed Olivia. He and his daughter laughed as he described coming back to the dorm after class to find his fellow basketball teammates, some of Olivia's first babysitters, chasing around an active toddler. His daughter asked him if he was ever embarrassed by her, by being a young father, to which he emphatically replied "no, never". He told his daughter about the many, many times he would leave his books to look over her sleeping and it was the only thing that kept him going, kept driving him forward. At his college graduation, the university called both Will and Olivia's names. As he carried his daughter up to get his diploma his fellow classmates and teachers all rose from their chairs, giving him a much deserved standing ovation. At the end of recording, both the man and his daughter exchanged words of love and appreciation in voices that trembled with emotion.

There are remarkable men, and then there are remarkable fathers. This man, Will Smith, is an wonderful example of the love and self-sacrifice some fathers regularly make to raise their children. I wish stories like his were as well-known as some of the more media-primed tales we get exposed to on a daily basis. While not all of fatherhood involves such challenges as Will Smith's did, even those fathers who live their lives simply being there for their children can still be the biggest heroes.

So, to that overweight Dad in the mall who walked around in that totally unflattering rubber Batman costume, holding hands with his little boy "Robin" on Halloween...I salute you. To my husband, who has manage to convince our daughter that she is indeed a Princess, the most beautiful and perfect one in the whole world....thank you from the bottom of her mommy's heart. And lastly to my own Dad, who has raised a daughter who knows she has her father's unwavering and unconditional love and support no matter what...You are my hero and I love you. Happy Father's Day