How to Make a Father

Fatherhood is not for the faint of heart. One must be brave and willing to put one's own needs on hold for their children. True fathers do more than just help create a child. True fathers don't even need to have been there at the start.

I have many fathers in my life. I consider myself quite lucky, in fact, to have so many great ones surrounding me. My own father, my step father, my father in law, and of course, the father of my children all display different characteristics of what makes a great father. Over the years, expectations of what makes a great father has changed. No longer is it solely about being the breadwinner. We expect more now, rightly so.

But how do you make a good father? First, take a huge scoop of love. Fathers need to have love. Love for their kids of course, but also love for their partner. They need to display this love, so make sure to add in plenty of hugs and kisses. Next, pour in some hard work. A lot of hard work. More. Keep pouring. Okay, that's about right. Fathers work hard. Whether they work out of the home or stay at home.

Our next ingredient is patience. Some fathers have more, some less. Add in however much you think you need, and then add in a little more. Kids require a lot of patience. Knowledge comes next. For some reason, dads are a fountain of knowledge. So add a dash of knowledge. And make sure to throw in a sprinkle of "how to Google" for those things that dad just doesn't know. Okay. See that bottle over there of humour? Pour the whole thing in. Great fathers usually have an abundant supply of humour that sometimes results in eye rolls, but always results in laughter. Finally, add a generous helping of playfulness for all of the wrestling and chasing that dads do.

Not all fathers are made of equal parts of all of these things. Some dads are smarter, some are funnier. Some dads are more patient, and some are more playful. But there is one thing that is for sure. All dads shape their kids, for better or worse, and help make them who they are to become. Most of all, all dads love.