Daddy has easily been my most difficult promotion and is one of my proudest titles – but it comes with immense responsibility – to protect, to provide, and to prepare my kids physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I am blessed that my dad was a good example of the self-sacrifice required to love a family well – I am also blessed that he devoted himself to being a dad that “stepped up” to love and care for kids who weren’t his own.
In the late 90s, country artist Brad Paisley released a song entitled “He Didn’t Have To Be.” The song tells the story of a new dad standing in the delivery room looking at his new baby. He thinks back over his own childhood with a single mother until his “dad” comes into the picture about the time he is five years old. As he looks on, he can’t help but think about all of the things his dad did for him growing up, and he states – “I hope I’m at least half the dad he didn’t have to be.”
I am grateful to be able to echo that sentiment and say, “I hope I am at least half the dad that my dad didn’t have to be.” As an adopted child, I’ve reaped the benefits of someone stepping into the gap in my life to provide for me, protect me, and prepare me for the future; but many children are looking for someone to “step up” in their lives and fill those needs.
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