Giving Priority to Family Time: Now Witnessing My Son Do the Same

The moment I found out about becoming a parent, a whirlwind of emotions took over. Joy and anticipation were immediate, despite not actively planning for a child, quickly followed by fear and uncertainty.

My wife once shared a thought-provoking perspective: that our role was to nurture an adult, knowing we couldn't always be around.

With that mindset, we encouraged our son to forge his own path, think independently, and make wise decisions. We imparted lessons in analytical thinking, managing time, and handling finances. Eschewing team sports, he embraced taekwondo, a discipline aligning with his penchant for personal challenges.

Fatherhood and Future

He is now a grown man. Post finishing a specialized high school program in technology, he joined the military, earned an ROTC scholarship, and became an officer. Presently, he's engaged as a construction manager. Married and settled into his first home, he now has a little daughter.

His workplace is a brief ten-minute drive from home, allowing occasional lunches at home or remote work days. Jena eagerly awaits his return each day, greeting him with delight. Regardless of his exhaustion, he warmly greets her with a cheerful, 'Hi, gorgeous.'

There's immense pride in our hearts. Yet, some may argue I fell short as a father, for not pushing football onto him or stepping into Scout conflicts. A scout leader once said, 'boys will be boys,' suggesting physical conflict builds manhood.

Society often frowns upon men who defy conventional masculine norms. Recently, a television persona rebuked a spouse merely grocery shopping with his wife, standing by strict traditional gender roles where men are the breadwinners and women, the homemakers.

Family First: Leading by Example

When our son was born, I vowed to place family at the helm. This decision steered me to prioritize things like dinners at home, school events, and family outings.

Career decisions were occasionally not in my favor but benefited the family—choosing secure jobs with convenient commutes over higher-paying roles that demanded uprooting. This inadvertently modeled ideal conduct.

Mirroring my actions, my son too, values family time deeply, participates in errands, and enjoys family outings. During his wife's yoga classes, he cares for his daughter, and he's even gone to work showcasing Jena's manicure artistry.

Perhaps true masculinity involves more than ruggedness or stoicism. It's about making tough calls and not being confined by societally-imposed narratives.

Just the other evening, as we were visiting his home near dinnertime, our 3-year-old granddaughter dashed through the house to call out to her father. From the driveway, a familiar voice responded joyfully, 'Hey, beautiful.'