Yesterday was Father’s Day, 24 hours to express gratitude to the men who have children. It is not as popular as Mother’s Day, and for good reason: women give birth to children after growing them inside their bodies for 40 weeks; men start their work only after birth.
Being a father means different things to people. Some are the primary caretakers, responsible for all aspects of a child’s life, and others are the only parent. These fathers deserve the highest of regard for being entrusted with raising good people. There is no job more important.
Other fathers are not present, either by choice, death, or other circumstances. This absence is hard to replace and burdens the Mother and other people in the child’s life. This can be a major factor in the type of parent the child will become.
Most fathers are somewhere in the middle, co-parenting in either the same house or different accommodations. They share in the child-raising and care. Whether married, separated or divorced, the presence of a father in a child’s life is almost always a good thing.
I am a plastic surgeon, so why am I talking about being a father? Because despite all of my education, training and abilities, being a great father is the most important and challenging role that I have. I can do thousands of cosmetic plastic surgeries, make so many people look and feel better, but I will be judged by the quality of human being my children become. If everybody felt this way, imagine what tomorrow’s world would look like.