Daddin': The Verb of Being a Dad
Inspired by the book, by Dion McInnis
The Edge of the Nest
September 23, 2012
Posted by on 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.
How did I get so far behind?
June 2, 2012
Posted by on Five months since I posted? How could that be?
Lot of reasons, but thankfully one of them is being busy as a dad and granddad. There has been (not enough) fishing with Cameron, seeing little Lil, helping print photos for Dion’s first photo exibition, watching Justin and his wife compete in a mud run…oh, and trying to keep up the house.
Other life stuff has gotten in the way, but the simple truth is that I have not taken the time to enjoy, to notice, to reflect and to write. I will get back to it now; I need it. Sometimes the creative things that we avoid during life’s challenges are the exact same things we need to help us navigate the challenges.
Moms have a verb; dads have a title….that is the problem
February 20, 2012
Posted by on I contrived the verb Daddin’ because I believe that fathers need a verb that they can carry with them like moms have the verb “to mother” as part of their lives. Dads only have the noun, the title. It sounds simple, but I believe it describes and predicts the problems about fatherhood in our society.
If children grew up hearing there was a verb for being a dad–fathering a child only suggests procreation–perhaps young men would have different impressions about what it means to live out the verbs of being a dad instead of merely claiming the title of “father.” And if all a young man knows is that he holds the title…what is he to do in the day to day business of being a father?
Verbs are words of condition or action. Dads must own fully their conditions as humans with emotions, strengths and foibles and live out their lives in action. Titles are noun and tend to be static. Parenthood is anything BUT static.
Granddaddin’ Watchin’ Daddin’…the cycle continues
January 16, 2012
Posted by on This is my first posting on a new blog that takes me to phase two of Daddin’. The perspective of the book was that of being son to a father and father to three sons, and now I am granddad to a grandaughter.
If you haven’t read the book or its introduction (free preview of the introduction by clicking on the book cover), I coined the term as a verb for dads. Mothers can mother all their lives, but when you say you saw a man fathering a child, the connotation is only biological. So, I invented daddiin’ to describe the verb of being a dad. Each chapter is a verb, full of musings, stories, poetry and journal entries. As the cosmos would have it, I received my author’s copy of the book less than 48 hours before Lillian was born. I gave my oldest son his copy of the book (my author’s copy) in the waiting room of the hospital where Lillian was to come to this world.
Now that she is developing her personality and characteristics and sense of humor and….it has been easier to see the interactions between her and her parents. Since my son is a freelance web designer, he has more time with her and their fun and games are wonderful to watch. I am learning granddaddin’ while he is learning daddin’ of his own style.
From this blog I will share stories of the next phase of daddin’. I hope you enjoy.