Daddin': The Verb of Being a Dad

Inspired by the book, by Dion McInnis

Monthly Archives: September 2012

The Edge of the Nest

Leave a comment Posted by on September 23, 2012

The sight is familiar:  the young one stands at the edge of the nest, knowing in its heart and mind that the time to fly has arrived.  He spreads his wings and feels the air move across their surfaces, causing a natural lift.  What he wants to do—fly—is his call and comes naturally.  I see it in my 20-year old.  I’ve seen it before in his brothers, but this time it is different—he is the last from this nest.

All the signals are there; likewise, so too are the appearances of the wind moving across his wings, causing a lift that is both encouraging and scary.  He continues to grow as a young man:  a fisherman, student, employee, friend, son, brother and more.  The growth continues, the wind continues to blow.  Before him is the short distance down and the limitless horizons in front of him.  The risk of falling a bit is far outweighed by the chance to soar with few limits.

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The Basics of Daddin'

Two years?

Leave a comment Posted by on September 18, 2012

Lillian–“Lil Girl,” as her dad, my oldest son, calls her–will be two years old soon.  Very soon.  Two years.  TWO years.  Two YEARS.  No matter how I place the emphasis, there is no easy way to comprehend how fast time has flown and how little of it I have seen.  I can’t change the pace of the former but I can change the latter.  I have to.

Two years ago, I was awaiting the delivery of my first copy of my book Daddin’.  It arrived 48 hours before Lil Girl’s birth and her dad received my copy.  “Well, son, welcome to the fun of being a dad,” I said…or something to that effect…as we stood in the waiting room of the hospital where Lil was about to be born.  Then I blinked, and now it is today.

Is it the momentum gained by my own aging process that made the last two years go so fast, or was it the too-few times that I spent time with her?

The benefit of daddin’ is that all the time appears to be in front.  For granddaddin’, the bulk of time is behind me. For Lil’s second birthday, I am going to give myself a gift for the years to come…more time with her.

The Next Generation of Daddin'