The Gifts Of Fatherhood

Text reading Happy Father's Day and pictures of fathers and families
The Gifts Of Fatherhood

We asked our Acceptance family to share the gifts of fatherhood with us, and with you.

Novelty ties and golf balls are great. And we’ve never met a father who didn’t appreciate a gift declaring them ‘World’s Greatest Dad’. But when we asked the Acceptance Insurance team to talk about the best gifts they’ve gotten for Father’s Day, they surprised us with stories about fathers and becoming fathers. We’re sharing some of those stories here hoping they will help you to celebrate being a father, or the fathers in your life.

After A Long Journey, Joy.

One member of our Acceptance family related the confusion and exhaustion of spending more than a year navigating the foreign adoption process and days travelling to meet their baby, when the idea of being a father met the reality of being handed his daughter for the first time:  

I was timid and apprehensive at first because I have a tiny human being in my arms and I wasn't exactly sure if I was holding her right. The surprise came when tears started flowing down my cheeks. I was happy and the enormity of responsibility all hit me at the same time. I was one proud father! I would not trade that experience for anything in the world.

A Life’s Calling In A Single Word

What it really requires of a man to become a father became real for one young Acceptance dad as his daughter got a little older:

I remember the first time my daughter said the word “Dada”. It was a moment that put everything into perspective and gave me purpose. I knew from the moment she was born and the second I heard that word, I was going to be held accountable and wanted to live my life with kindness and integrity.

Coming Together As One Family

When he proposed to his wife, this next contributor realized he would have to form a relationship with her two children.  When they decided on a long destination wedding as a family rather than a secluded honeymoon, he realized he had made the right decision:

On our wedding day on the beach, the kids grabbed both my hands at the same time while we were standing at the sandy altar.  I looked down at them while listening to the preacher, the look I got back was one of love, excitement and confidence that I would be there for them no matter what!  They were right!  From that day I have received nothing but love and affection from our kids. And 2 months ago we were blessed with our first grandbaby. Fatherhood really is all it is cracked up to be, and I look forward to this day all year long!

A Promise Kept

A team member in Nashville offered this appreciation of her father’s hard work:

My Father just turned 90 years old. He didn’t have parents. His mother died when he was 16 months old and his father didn’t stay around much. He was passed from relative to relative. He made a promise that he would never do that to his kids. He made good on his promise. Us kids never went without anything. He says, God has a reason for him still being here. I think he is right. He gives all of us kids a reason to continue and strive for the best and to be the best that we can be.

To all the fathers, the father-figures, and everyone who offers a reassuring word or a helping hand, we celebrate you and thank you.