Being A Father Is Magical

Being A Father is Magical

Maybe it was when my Dad threw the ball with me as soon as he got home from work. It could’ve been when he stormed down to our neighbors house after they didn’t fairly pay me for the excessive yard work I completed. Or maybe it’s when I would make eye contact with him as he cheered in the crowd during a sporting event, the feel of his pat on the back when they called my name during an academic award ceremony or the smile and pride he displayed when I would lead a prayer during youth Sunday at church. I don’t know if I can define the exact moment, but what I have realized is that the discovery of who I am as a man is deeply rooted through the eyes of my Dad.

​​It’s not that you are searching for validation from your father on setting a definition on your life, but rather seeking clarity on how your father sees you as a path to create your personal life logo. Usually around the teenage years, a child begins this journey of discovering who they are. It can be confusing, it can be uncertain, it can be enlightening or it can even be unfulfilled. Therefore, it becomes even more important that how my dad sees me puts in focus how I see myself.

​​So what if my dad was absent? First, I rarely write nor speak on topics that I haven’t personally experienced, but I will provide my thoughts to simply initiate a different lens of discussion. Many men have found themselves and molded their mindsets due to the unfulfilled promises of not having their dad in their lives. That can be a positive or negative response, but both outcomes originate from the seen, told, or assumed eyes of your father. Some folks ambition to be great is driven by the want to be seen by their father. Through the eyes of their father, they see themselves as not being good enough. Now take that same scenario but change the father to someone who is highly involved. That child, also driven to greatness, is fueled by a different energy. Nonetheless, both children seek to have the same outcomes.

​​Being a father is magical. My two babies, Tobias and Bailey, are my motivation. There’s no earthly force that can block the love and effort I will put towards my children. The transfer of energy between father and child is somewhat of a phenomena.

Sure, we can clearly see the impact a good or bad father has over his child. But it’s more of the intangibles seen, felt and understood that help adds clarity to the formation of “who you are” as a person. Knowing who I am as a man is what makes me a better father. I like to say as a man Do-eth is where his morals, standards and mindset is manifested.

​​I am grateful, honored and blessed to have been reared by amazing parents. My Dad, Oscar Johnson, grew up on sharecropped land deep in the Jim Crow south, and he lost his own father at the age of three years old. His formal education ended after he graduated from high school, but his wisdom is a continuous course without an end date. I found me by looking at him. Discovery of yourself is the greatest treasure anyone can find.

​​Whether it’s confidence, love, ambition, work ethic, or focus, we as Dads have to prioritize our actions so they align to the type of energy we want to fuel our kids as they become adults.

​​Happy Father’s Day!