Happy Dad Day

Today is Father’s Day. I know a lot of great fathers, good men who love and care for their kids. My dad is still rocking and rolling. He would admit he made a million mistakes. He isn't perfect and I accept him for him. I was one of the lucky ones; my parents encouraged me (and still do) to do what makes me happy.

Like being a mom, there are no manuals to being a dad. There are countless books and websites that can give you opinions and ideas, but nothing helps you in real life.

When I was a kid, my dad built the nets and would play road hockey with us. He was – and still is – always good for a story. He made great fried egg and peanut butter sandwiches (hey, don’t judge until you try one!), and he’s still good for a long deep chat about life. We’ll have one today. Thanks Dad!

DNA doesn't make you a dad. Money doesn't make you a father. Love does.

Some others’ perspective on fatherhood

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. Mark Twain

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.
Johann Friedrich von Schiller

I found out that I'm a pretty bad father. I make a lot of mistakes and I don’t know what I'm doing. But my kids love me. Go figure. Louis CK

It is much easier to become a father than to be one.
Kent Nerburn

Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.
Jon Stewart

Whoever does not have a good father should procure one.
Friedrich Nietzsche

My father used to say that it's never too late to do anything you wanted to do.
Michael Jordan

By the time a man realizes his father was right, he has a son who thinks he’s wrong.
Charles Wadsworth

Having a kid is like falling in love for the first time when you’re 12, but every day.
Mike Myers

Nobody ever asks a father how he manages to combine marriage and a career.
Sam Ewing

It's an ongoing joy being a dad.
Liam Neeson

When my father didn't have my hand, he had my back.
Linda Poindexter

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give; he believed in me.
Jim Valvano

It is a wise father that knows his own child.
William Shakespeare

Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.
Ruth Renkel
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

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Thanks Dad

Thanks to all our dads for all your hard work doing the most honourable job there is and thanks to my dad and step dad for reminding me to go with my heart, do great work, respect others, enjoy life, and not spend a moment worrying about comparing myself to others.

Biology doesn't create fatherhood. Money won’t make you a great dad. Proximity can’t ensure a strong bond. Like any relationship, our actions cause richness and meaning.

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.
Sigmund Freud

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it.
Clarence Budington Kelland

I started businesses, I made a lot of money, I lost a lot of money, I made it back.
But no job is as demanding and rewarding as being a father.
John Harrison

Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.
Ruth Renkel

To become a father is not hard; to be a father is, however.
Wilhelm Busch

When I was a boy of 14 , my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. At 21, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in 7 years.
Mark Twain

Bono pays tribute to his father Brendan Robert Hewson who passed away in 2001 but it also serves as a tribute to those who we have lost and miss.


Kneale Mann

U2

Two Things on Father’s Day

They say you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family but twice a year we pay tribute to the people who actually brought us into the world. Today it’s dad’s turn. And I can’t know your situation but I hope you and your dad are in a good place or if he’s no longer with us, you think of him fondly. Mom gets half the nod but thanks to my dad for making me creative, smart and inquisitive. I love you.

Thanks to Dads All Over the World

One place you may want to visit today is The Good Men Project. My friend Lisa Hickey is the force behind an idea started by Tom Matlack. There is a book, an online magazine, videos, interaction, a blog and great stuff about all kinds of good men.

And on this Father’s Day, a look at Louis Kahn through the eyes and lens of his son Nathaniel who presented this TED Talk in 2002 about his film “My Architect”. It is a documentary about his legendary father. But it is equally a film about anyone seeking to gain more understanding about their relationships.



Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED

Father’s Day

Father's Day is a celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to compliment Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting. It is also celebrated to honor and commemorate our forefathers.

The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on June 19, 1910.

After listening to a church sermon at Spokane Washington's Central Methodist Episcopal Church in 1909 about the newly recognized Mother's Day, Sonora Smart Dodd felt strongly that fatherhood needed recognition, as well.

She wanted a celebration that honored fathers like her own father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran who was left to raise his family alone when his wife died giving birth to their sixth child when Sonora was 16 years old. From Wikipedia

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.
Johann Schiller

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. Mark Twain

By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong. Charles Wadsworth

Life was a lot simpler when what we honored was father and mother rather than all major credit cards. Robert Orben

My dad still encourages me to follow my passions and my dreams. His words still ring in my mind that relationships are not 50-50 but 100-100. At 73, he edits videos of his vacations, rewrites the rules for his online baseball league and adores his wife more than life itself.

Thanks for everything, Dad. You rock dude!

Happy Father's Day to every dad.

photo credit: schlissellaw

Remember | Never Forget

Remember those who have fought with their most precious gift of all.

Remember fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, cousins and friends who did not come back and have the time to cherish the freedoms we enjoy.

Remember that our problems pale in comparison.

Remember women and men who continue to defend our right to say and do what we want.

Remember those who helped shape our ideals and freedom.

Remember souls who give us hope and perspective
to what is really important.

Remember to say...

Thank You