by Seth Eisenberg
FATHERHOODCHANNEL.COM
Over our final dinner of 2011 at our family’s longtime favorite local restaurant, Japan Inn at the Weston Town Center, my wife, two sons, and I shared wishes, hopes and dreams for 2012 around a Hibachi table erupting with steaming vegetables, rice and assorted delicacies as our youngest child cuddled with his loving grandparents and devoted aunt at their home on Miami Beach.
We recounted the many blessings and gifts of 2011, from one son’s admission to medical school to another’s continued pursuits of his passion for football and the friendship he shares with his much beloved girlfriend, to the new home we’ll move into this week, and the federal grant that has allowed us to continue touching the lives of so many people and create new possibilities for a world in which no Veteran family experiences homelessness.
Without a doubt, the greatest gift of 2011 has been the gift of each other – loved ones who cheer, support, encourage, and bring out the best in each other through good times and challenging ones too.
As my wife and I drove home and the boys left to celebrate with their girlfriends, I thought of the many youngsters and fathers who are disconnected, estranged or absent from each others’ lives, hoping that 2012 offers new opportunities for connection and conversations that matter.
What are your children’s wishes, hopes and dreams for 2012?
Knowing our sons and daughters dreams for their lives and doing what we can to help make them come true is a unique role of fathers everywhere.
While many men who are now fathers grew up without examples of the fathers we want to be for our own children, we can all learn to be inspiring dads. For dads everywhere, I hope 2012 will be a celebration of the greatest gift we could ever receive: the priceless gift of fatherhood.
Seth Eisenberg is President/CEO of the nonprofit PAIRS Foundation, an industry leader in marriage and relationship education.