Daddin': The Verb of Being a Dad

It has been just over five years since the release of Daddin’:  The Verb of Being a Dad, which occurred only 48 hours before the birth of my first granddaughter.  A lot has happened since then, including the addition of three more granddaughters.  As of late, I have had a lot of moments reminding me of moments, but the moment in church this morning was among the most powerful.

The cry of the nearly newborn, the smiles of pride of the elementary age students bringing up the gifts for Offertory, the children in mother’s arms or father’s embraces or tended by older siblings.  Everywhere I gazed, I saw…moments.  While not all of them are memorable, they join together to create memories.  My fondest memories involved time with, near, around or watching my sons…like the ones I watched in church.

I describe the Daddin’ book as a book of moments, and my youngest son noticed the same thing before I had mentioned the concept to him.  He was almost 18 when I finished the book.  Already he could tell what the verb of being a dad is all about.  Moments.  I miss those moments.

I admit to not writing nearly as much about being a dad since the book was completed.  Some of it may have been project post-partum, and some may be that daddin’ in the moments when the children are around is very different than when they aren’t.  It is quite different when all the kids are working, developing their lives (two of them as dads), and no longer looking for the next time to play catch with their ol’ man.  That has taken some getting used to.

The moments are different now.  The chance to listen to stories about their lives is similar to the poem in Daddin’ when I don’t want my child to go to sleep…I want to hear all the stories of the day.  The desire remains, but the stories are different.  But I always enjoy listening.  And I look forward to hearing more stories from grandchildren.  Those will be moments of a different type, but they will make memories that will always fill my heart.

As fast as life moves, it pays to notice and remember the moments.