Parenting Australia

I Love You Dad

Mark Twain once said that he could live for an entire month on one good complement.

The one good complement that no man could ever get tired of hearing is: “I Love You Dad”.

All family men experience love. Family, girlfriends, wives are all part of that experience. But when our children arrive – wow! That’s a whole new ball game.

How many of us men genuinely knew we had the capacity to love so deeply? Not many I suspect. Try putting your love for your children into words. Not possible.

My wife and I have two lovely daughters. We wake up every day and, like every parent, feel utterly blessed that we share our lives with them.

One bright Saturday morning my wife and I were sharing breakfast with children. Our girls at the time were 7 and 8 years old. We were all enjoying a cup of tea and some raisin toast around the kitchen breakfast bar. We were planning the day when I announced that I would have to go into the office for a couple of hours. “Dad do you really have to?” was the plea from my younger daughter. “Sorry darling. I promise I won’t be long.”

After a little more discussion about our plans for the day I kissed and hugged all three. I told them I loved them. I promised I would be home soon and that I wouldn’t get stuck at the office. I’m sure every father who owns a business can relate to that one.

After I walked out the back door and jumped into the car, one of my girls came out the side door to the carport. Before I put the car in reverse, I hesitated and wound down the window. I looked up and this picture of loveliness was standing at the top of the steps. She had the biggest smile on her face I’d ever seen. She was smiling and waving with that child-like unbridled enthusiasm. She then raised her hand to her mouth in yell mode and let it rip. In the biggest voice any 8 year old child could possibly muster she yelled “I Love You Dad!” It was so loud everyone within a ten block radius must have heard it.

How good did that feel? I waved madly in return with my head half out the window and yelled back “I Love You Beautiful” as I reversed out of the driveway – still waving. I drove up to the end of the street feeling like the proudest dad on the planet. Her words kept repeating in my head. I Love You Dad! Nothing new about that but this time, for some reason, it was different. I’d never known it to be delivered so strongly and unexpectedly.

By the time I had turned the corner at the end of our street my throat was lumpy. And before I reached the main road that would take me to my office my eyes were watering. And then the tears kept coming. Tears of joy mixed with tears of love. The best kind. How lucky was I? Words can’t describe that lucky feeling any more than they can describe true love.

So what does father’s day mean to me? Remembering events like that in my life is what counts. Cold raisin toast in bed is good. And socks and undies are nice. But all I need is those four magnificent words “I Love You Dad”.

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Peter J Cahill is a seasoned Property Entrepreneur from Melbourne, Australia. He has been operating in Melbourne’s property market for over 30 years. He has bought, sold, initiated or developed over $350 million of real estate projects. He says that now he’s finished his apprenticeship, he intends to really get moving.

He is the founder of a Global Empowerment Initiative and author of a new book - “Eliminate Small Business & Grow Rich – A Simple Powerful Wealth Creation Guide for Entrepreneurs” - which will be released soon. You can read more at www.EliminateSmallBusiness.com

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