Parenting has never come easy to me, and several times I’ve wondered about my own capacity as a father. Sure, I provide well for my boys; they lack for nothing and are a lot better off materially than when I was their age. There is no doubt that their mother is much better equipped to attend to their emotional needs and has done an excellent job. The years roll by, you nurture them the best you can, you watch them grow, and you hope that you’re doing what’s right to make them good people.
But something small happened to me the other day, suddenly making me feel like a “dad.”. My namesake’s 1st-grade teacher pulled out my son’s schoolwork during a parent-teacher conference the other day. She wanted me to read Alan’s short story assignment, written in his own hand, entitled “My Dad”. If I ever needed a reason to get out of bed in the morning, it was all right there in that short little essay. I’m a hero to my five-year-old, not because I pay the bills, but because we hang out and like to eat ice cream together. There is not one complaint that bedtime means 8:00 PM or that I have to wrestle with him to brush his teeth each night. Never underestimate the responsibility and influence you are given as a parent, and don’t confuse what is essential to your kids. It was one of the best days of my life….to be validated as a father in a short story by my 5-year-old son.
What Next? 
Al, this is indeed very touching. I’m sure you’ve been a great dad for them and God will help you doing it and it will be a treasure for them to pass on to their kids and their families, someday.
It reminds me of Obama’s Father’s day speech, “We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child – it’s the courage to raise one.”