A reader sent a note last week letting me know she takes The Advocate with her for friends to read. I am glad to hear we have avid readers everywhere. This lady is from Ohio and a friend of hers asked why I never have anything in my articles about what Daddy Said. Well folks, I can honestly say I do not have one scrap of wisdom that I can pass on from my father.
I sat and pondered on this all weekend and I will pass on my assessment of the situation. A father is a creator, meaning that without his contribution there would be no child. A dad is something entirely different. A dad teaches a child, leads that child into the unknown, scares away the monster under the bed and most importantly, loves that child unconditionally. I had a father, not a dad.
I cannot remember a time when he played ball with us, took us on a fishing trip, or just sat and talked with us. It was always mom, always. Any time I cast back in time, it was always mom there, not him. So I cannot have anything in my column about what daddy said, because daddy never said anything worthwhile.
I hope that there are more dads out there than fathers. If you are a dad, let your children know you love them. Momma Said, “It is not un-macho to say, I love you and hug your children.” Let your children know how much you care, it doesn’t matter if they are 13 or 31, let them know how you feel. Even grown children still need to know they are loved by the most important people in their lives, their parents. Momma Said, “It doesn’t matter how old a little girl gets, she should still have a daddy to tell her he loves her.”