Happy Father’s Day! If you’re lucky enough to be a father, be a good one. If you’re lucky enough to have a father, love him while you can. Nothing lasts, and the best we can do is appreciate what we have before it’s gone.
Joe Saitta wrote about his regret in a piece called I Should Have Been There:
I was no different in my teen-age years than teen-agers today. I thought I knew it all, had seen it all and done it all. I married young and fathered you two beautiful girls. Innocent to what lay ahead, my duties fell short. A part-time parent, in a full-time world.
I wasn’t there when you took your first steps. I should have been there to catch you when you fell. The first time you said “Daddy,” I should have been there to see your smile. The first day of school, the important questions — “Daddy, why do boys pull my hair?” — I should have been there to tell you why. Your first boyfriends, your first date — I should have been there. I can’t bring back those days in time when your first was also mine. I wasn’t there. I should have been.
Now you have families of your own and, as always, make my Father’s Day special. I realize what I’ve missed and taken for granted. So this Father’s Day, I give to you my heart, my love, my all.
I should have been there.
