Our Thoughts on Fatherhood

In honor of Father's Day, we asked our staff Dads what changes becoming a father brought to their lives. We asked the Moms what changes they saw in their spouse/significant other as a result of parenthood. Here’s what they had to say:

Matt Fischer

Becoming a father changed me in so many ways and is continuing to do so. All for the better.

First, I experienced an amount of love I didn’t know could exist. I have become so much more responsible and mature since [my daughter’s] birth. She has been an absolute joy to raise and I want to spend as much time as I can with her and my wife,

I have had to become more organized and be better at time management. I have learned what it really means to be selfless, as I would do anything for my daughter.

Last, but not least, my jokes now have purpose. My co-workers have taken the brunt of my dad jokes for the last five years before I became a dad. They still get the brunt of those jokes – they just think they are more appropriate now. Do you know when a joke becomes a dad joke? When it becomes apparent (I’ll see myself out.)

Shannon Moore

Parenthood is a funny thing. One minute you're trying to figure out how to be an adult yourself, and the next minute you're responsible for an entire tiny human. The changes in Josh (my husband and the assist I needed for procreating) have been so interesting to watch. 

At the beginning, trying to get over the hurdle of fear working with the wiggly lump of flesh that we had to take care of. Then to making sure the kid gets potty trained, taught, and played with enough. Now throw in another lump of flesh that we're expected to nurture and care for.

Watching him "dad" is an attractive quality. He can be patient (most of the time) and makes killer frozen Dino nuggets. Also, Jameson's coordination of jumping on the trampoline and throwing a football at the same time has vastly improved recently, due to the amount of outside time the boys all get.

Rick Cundiff

I confess, I have no children, However, I am the “furdad” of two dogs and three cats. Obviously, I can’t fully appreciate the amazing joys, pains, fears and pride that being a parent of a child encompasses. I don’t pretend that the roles are remotely comparable.

Having said that, I do know the feeling of responsibility that being accountable for a small living being entails. The knowledge that it’s my job (and my wife’s) to protect those little creatures from harm and give them the best life possible has made me more empathetic and less selfish. For that, I am grateful.

Trudi Moore

When we were blessed with the knowledge that we were having a baby, my husband was really happy and felt that I needed a hobby and this would be really good for me.  He told his coworkers that his life wasn't changing.

The day our son was born was life changing for both of us. Mike was fully engaged and his heart could not have been more full. I watched him change his
entire outlook and his focus to provide for and spend quality time with our family. 

To this day he loves planning family trips and finding ways to spend time and improve the lives of his family. The love for our son has only grown into a larger circle including our daughter-in-law and grandsons. My drag racing, water skiing, boating enthusiast grew into an amazing father the day our son was born.

Justin MacDonald

I’m probably still alive because I became a dad at a young age. When I tell people, “We have three planned and one ‘blessing’ (surprise.)” I think they often assume my oldest is the surprise, but it’s actually my youngest. I got married young, (age 20) and we decided to have a kid not too long after. So in my early to mid-twenties when I would have been in my prime age for idiocy, especially given my often rambunctious and admittedly adventurous lifestyle choices, I was instead learning how to be a father (still learning at age 37.)

I think my focus on making sure my young children stayed alive helped me also stay alive while my frontal lobe finished forming.