Life is about example. Having example and being an example. My father has been my main parent since I was about one. My mother died in a car accident. Everything I have learnt about being a man, a professional, a husband, a father, etc has stemmed from my father. I started working for him in the family businesses from a very young age so I learnt how to work and gained skills directly from him outside of school but, more importantly, watching him over the years – I am now 42 and he is 79 – has shaped who I am.
Whenever I am asked about my role models, my father is always the first I name but it is more than that for me – he has been the ultimate example. None of us is perfect but he has been perfect, even with his imperfections, because he provided a foundation, a template of sorts, from which I could, and can, build a life I can be proud of. I continue to learn from him every day, and it is impossible to break a lifetime of lessons into a couple of words but, through his example, he has taught me:
- about responsibility and duty,
- about sacrifice,
- about hard work,
- about living completely,
- about respect for self and others,
- about pride,
- about perfection and excellence,
- about dreaming without limit,
- about compassion,
- about humility,
- about love,
- about legacy.
My love for knowledge, and reading, and writing, and music, and sport, and creativity, and expression, comes from him. Every time the teams we both support – Ghana, Germany, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Kaizer Chiefs – play in an important game, I know I will get a phone call afterwards either to celebrate or to check that I am handling the disappointment of a loss. And I reminded of the importance of thinking beyond oneself.
As a father myself now, I understand him a lot more. I understand how he has been able to get up every day and go out to change the world because there is no other option when you have the responsibility of raising children and living a life of legacy.
I hope that I shape up. I strive to do so every day. And celebrate the privilege I have of being his son. On this Father’s Day, Chivas Regal, as part of their My Father Is A Gentleman campaign, have provided me with two bottles of Chivas Regal 18 to giveaway. When I was growing up, my father’s bottle of Chivas was always the one that you weren’t allowed to touch. The most important lesson for me from my father is that being a gentleman is about living authentically and positively. A quote I try to live by is: A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.
To enter, please leave a comment on what fatherhood means to you. The two winners will be randomly selected by my 7-year old son. The competition is only open to South African residents. The winner will be notified by email. The closing date for the competition is Wednesday, June 18th, 2014.
Today is known as father’s day. A day set aside for all children to remember their father in some way. First, you made my years of childhood and youth a period of life delightful to live over in my memory.
Then you made me conscious of the reality of God. That is, you made me believe there was a God. This you did not by sermons but rather by the calmness of your personality, which radiated daily that faith and assurance about life that makes others God conscious. The God you taught me to seek after, and prayed I come to know, was God to be trusted and obeyed,
Salutations, and happy fathers day.
My father taught me that family is the closets thing to seeing God’s smile.
growing up I realized that Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.
Integrity, dedication and loyalty is everything #realfathertalk
I’m a first time dad and I think that, as a dad, I want to promise him that I’ll always be there for him. The world can be a wonderful and scary place and I want to be there for both the scary moments and the wonderful ones. I promise him I’ll do my damndest. There’s a feeling that you get when somebody needs you and you’re there for them. There’s also that fulfilment in surrendering yourself to where they’re the most important thing and you just give yourself up to that. So it’s not about me any more. This is where my life is and my little guy defines me.
Fathers are those special people who teach you that it’s ok to take some risks, they always have wise words from their own experiences to help you through any problem and you know that everything is going to be fine because dad will always be there for you..
To me, fatherhood is strength, and compassion. It’s being the shoulders of a giant, a best friend, and the one person your child can turn to when all else has failed them.
How to describe my dad? Yes he is a gentleman, but in actual fact he is so much more. It goes further than just opening the door for your wife or standing in order for for the lady to have a seat. His family comes first, no questions asked and no effort is to big or to small. My dad is a man of integrity and principal and yet kind hearted and loving towards everyone. He has a soft spot for the needy, especially children and would give away the clothes on his back to help them. My dad has taught me that life is so much more than just being polite, it is about caring for others and therefore I believe that my father truly is a gentle man.
Being a dad is the best feeling in the world! Rushing home and once the door is opened there is just sheer joy and excitement! My boy just turned 2 and when I get home there is serious playtime. This includes kicking-the-soccer-ball, feeding each other and loads of high 5’s! I’m truly his wingman and I love the job!
Beautiful. Very cute that your son picked the winners.
I write the names of little pieces of paper and get him to pick out of hat. Figure it’s as unbiased as I can get 🙂