the thing about dads.

i basically lucked out in the dad department. my dad is awesome. he's quiet and funny; he's wise and a great listener; he's contemplative and morally upright (to a flaw sometimes); he is the most loyal person i have ever met. even though he's a man of few words, i probably reference something my dad has told me at least once a day. when i want to really talk about something - anything - my dad is the person i can count on to really really listen. he will weigh in if it seems appropriate, but he's also amazingly adept at knowing that sometimes what i really need is just a sounding board. my relationship with my dad is not boisterous or demonstrative...it is the type of comfortable, calm, solid relationship that comes from being a real kindred with another person.

i recently read an article where it listed many statistics of how much better kids' lives are all the way through adulthood and life when they've had a dad around - and especially a good, involved dad. i didn't need a bunch of research to tell me that.

i'm so, so grateful for my dad. i'm thankful for the dad he is to me, and for the extension of that role into his grandfathering and father-in-law-ing.

i'm also extremely grateful that the father of my own children is carrying the torch of awesome-dadding to ek and hollis. jb is different from my dad in a lot of ways, but the core of loyalty and regard for family is a fundamental part of who he is. justin is the playmate, the optimist, the it's-ok-if-they-stay-up-late-this-one-night parent. he's self-reflective and works hard to become the person and father he wants to become. he adores our children and puts our family at the forefront of all his decisions, but he still maintains his sense of self - his pursuit of his own goals. i think that's such an important example to set for the kidlets in a time when so many people become shells of their former selves in the pursuit of parenting perfection (i *may* fall into that category sometimes).

anyway. two dads in my life. and i'm super happy and lucky to know both of them. happy father's day!