What is a Father
According to the dictionary it's the male that contributed DNA to the formation of the child. I suspect that their definition is technically correct but nowhere near the whole story.
In my case it's the guy that took me to my first professional baseball game when I was eleven even though he can't stand baseball. He's the guy that worked two and three jobs to pay the bills that were the result of my being badly burned as a child.
He's the guy that took me to the allnight Godzilla movie marathon when I was 10. He is also the guy that tore my butt off in sixth grade when I told a teacher to get bent. He is the person I inherited my retreating hairline and my flirtatious nature from.
I would never say he is perfect because he isn't, but Pop and my mother did lay the basic foundation of my personality. There were long periods of time that we didn't get along and we are still not very close but he did the best he could to be a good father.
We are not good buddies or best friends and I am not raising my kids the way he raised me. But, I respect him and love him in spite of his faults and his mistakes.
I would hope that all of you also have a relationship with your father that is loving and giving even if you find it hard to get along with him.
