What Does It Mean To Be A Father

I tried to keep my head, I was awake and alert. I had dreamed about those first moments, getting to breastfeed right away, all that. And so when I had to go to the hospital, it was a shock.

As a young girl I lived a happy childhood from what I can remember. My mother would always remind me of the good times that we all had together as a family when we lived with Mr. and Mrs. Burns. If every family could be like the Burns there would

My childhood was pretty fun, I would always go to dairy queen and hang out at the pool with my friends, so I think it was a pretty good childhood.

My childhood was split over two different and unique cultures. This special upbringing presented me with challenges that lead me to continually reflect on my life and identity throughout my childhood. I had to adapt to different educational systems as my family moved back and forth between Syria and the United States. However, that only motivated me to work harder and seize the opportunities that surrounded me at every point of my life. I learned to treat obstacles and hardships as chances for growth and development.

I’m not going to sit here and say that my childhood wasn’t great, I had a loving and supportive family even growing up in a household with my mother and sister. My mother was a single parent who was always supportive and made sure she did what

Growing up, my childhood was “easy” my family had enough money that we never had to worry about anything. My father was a self-made man who created his own carpentry business at 18 years of age and

I also remember going in and seeing my mom, probably for the first time since she had the baby. I remember just sitting on the bed drawing while she talked to me. (I loved to draw at the time and was sometimes called ‘Little Picasso’.) This was the first time that it really clicked. We weren’t just going to go home and everything would be back to the way it was. This wasn’t a game of pretend. After mom came home from the hospital there was actually going to be another baby.

I could not help but think that I may forget and leave her in the car, or rush out the house and leave her home alone. I know that may sound crazy, but I always doing things that. I remember my mom telling me everyday that if my head was not already attached to my body, I would lose it. It's crazy because in health class we did the whole egg baby project, and needless to say I left my poor little defenseless baby egg on the school. Since that day, everyone would always tell me that a baby would not be for me. But regardless of how I felt, this baby was coming into this world whether I wanted it too or not. I have no choice but to grow up, accept responsibility and get prepared. So instead of relaxing and hanging out friends, I went to college and work and saved the money to prepare for the few months that I could not work.

I remember when my water bag broke; it was August 12, 1992, and the time was 12:15am.I was very excited that I would see my new baby on her due date. I did what the child birthing book recommended. I woke my husband up and told him to call the hospital. In the meantime I decided to take a shower. I was pretty calm because I didn't have any contractions. I wore my best maternity outfit and was spruced up compared to my husband. I even put on some perfume. You see, we had just gone to bed at 11:30 that night. My husband looked a little worse for wear. We got to the hospital and then were led into the maternity room. The room looked a little dingy with its yellow light and peeling paint. The hospital bed was small and narrow. I got scared,

My childhood was fantastic when I had someone to care about me. My mom taught me many lessons that I need to know for middle school. Besides, she didn’t educate me only about education but also inspired me with what’s like to be a successful

Mother: I have a case of moderate arthritis from playing tennis and gardening, so my doctors were concerned about my body's ability to carry the pregnancy to full term and handle the full ordeal of the delivery. The birth of our child took a long time. I was in labor for nearly four days. We hired a lovely midwife who has specialized knowledge in handling special births, but after the second day, we decided to load me up in the car and head for the hospital. It was frightening, I suppose, but I also felt a clarity of purpose. I really wanted this baby and I knew that the baby's best chance and my best chance for survival was for me to stay calm and coherent as possible, for the sake of my family.

One thing in my life that I had to dive into doing was being a single parent. I no longer had just myself to worry about and to take care of; I was going to have another person to be responsible for. I had a mixture of feelings when I found out I was pregnant. I did not know if his dad was going to be around or not to help me. I was worried, nervous, scared and excited all at the same time.

Becoming a father is a life changing experience. Most fathers will remember that one special day for the rest of their lives, while other fathers say the day their child was born was the day their life as they knew it was over. After sitting down and interviewing three different fathers who had three very different experiences before and after child birth my eyes have been opened to the multiple views, experiences, memories, and feelings these three gentlemen have experienced or will soon experience. Mr. Snyder who is currently awaiting the birth of his first child in the spring of 2015 was the first man I interviewed. Mr. Celso is the second man I interviewed. Mr. Celso and his wife experienced a very emotional and nerve wrecking pregnancy and birth of their two 4 month old twins. Lastly, Mr. Shipley was the last man I interviewed. Mr. Shipley is a father of a one year old boy. Mr. Shipley’s experience of the birth of his child was much different then the other two gentlemen given that Mr. Shipley and the mother of his son are not in any type of relationship, nor were they during their child’s birth. Each of these men shared a lot of similarities as well as an abundance of differences regarding their children and soon to be children.

There are many characteristics of what makes a father. It takes much more to be a father than just DNA or a piece of paper claiming you’re one. Some people may never know how it feels to have a good father, others know how it feels to have an overprotective father who seems to love too much at times. I however know how it feels to have both, because I do have both. It’s a blessing to have two dads, but it can also be very painful when it feels as if one wishes he wasn’t your father.

As I take a look back on my life, I realize how great it has truly been. I had an absolutely amazing childhood and I am beyond blessed for it. I grew up in a home with two loving parents that have been with me through it all and now of days that is something to be truly thankful for. My parents taught me to strive to be anything that I wanted and that I could be anything that I set my mind to. These dreams changed throughout my life as I grew older and as I grew into the person that I am today.