By Guest Blogger Jay Callahan
It’s a common phrase to hear people say that the best day of their lives was when their child/children were born. I disagree. The best day of my life is each additional day I get to spend with my three kids and watch them grow into amazing young people. I am truly lucky to have my wife, Katie, to share parenthood with. She has her job cut out for her both dealing with me (sometimes I can be the fourth child of the family) and raising our three kids. There is nothing I would not do for my children, and being a father is what I truly feel I was meant to be in this world.
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a professional soccer player, but I wasn’t good enough. I wouldn’t have minded being a comedian, but I don’t do well on a stage and I am not funny enough. Being a father was not on my list of what I wanted to be. If I could choose between being another Messi or another Adam Sandler or a dad, I would choose dad every time.
It is very important to me to do a great job in my roles as executive director of the Down Syndrome Association and as a soccer coach at Reagan High School. But it is the most important part of my life that I be the best Dad I can be to McKinley (12), Hudson (10), and Cooper (3). My own dad once told me that he had good friends in life, but his best friends were my mom, my sister, and me. He is a great model, and I use his mentorship daily with my own family.
Being a father is not always the easiest. Putting up with things like constantly unclogging toilets or having to listen to songs by Blippi every car ride, or just putting up with a sixth graders general grumpiness can all be a pain, but they are all worth it. The joy I get in watching McKinley learn a new song on her guitar, and Hudson get a hit on the baseball field, and Cooper just be Cooper, are all some of the most prideful moments a man can feel.
During my youth, my grandfather and my dad used to turn out the lights and sit me in front of countless slideshows with countless slides of family trips. I post a lot on social media as it is my version of a slideshow. One reason I post is that I hope pictures and stories of my kids will help brighten others’ days. Another reason I post a lot is when I get really old, I picture myself sitting on my front porch scrolling through my iPhone 40 looking at pictures of the lives of my kids with a huge smile on my face. Happy Father’s Day to all dads out there!
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