A Warrior can take on many meanings but I think in every instance it’s someone with great strength, perseverance, and most important of all, passion. Not all of us dads grew up dreaming to have children. I was a little different in that sense but that’s okay if you didn’t. What we all share in common is that feeling that over comes us when the first child does come. That warrior might not have had his coat of armor on when we were all young but an amazing thing overcomes us.
The child is born and suddenly strength.
The sleep deprivation, sick child, and family struggles consume us and the perseverance to push through is ignited.
The drive that underpins every move we make…passion.
Being that Warrior Dad is also about winning. Not winning in the sense of an actual prize or even over beating some opponent. Winning in the sense that you can give your family every opportunity available to them. It’s about gathering your resources, your knowledge, your passion and that Warrior mentality to win for your family.
As Warriors though we can struggle. I struggle every day with winning for my family. We’re fought with obstacles, diversions, and distractions. We need to remain focused, steadfast, keeping our Warrior spirit alive. Sometimes we may feel a little less than powerful in our day to day activities. It’s difficult to find that strength again and that is why it’s so important that we also share by reaching out. Being a Warrior doesn’t necessarily mean you’re all alone or that you should or need to go about it alone. Being a Warrior is about finding resources. Being a Warrior is about doing what needs to be done to win. Sometimes sharing can be difficult for men and we can have a hard time reaching out. Since starting the DadsTalking Community with several other guys I’ve come to learn that Community is so important for all of us.
So whether you grew up asking to babysit the neighborhood kids or never even thought of kids, it doesn’t matter. What matters now is not how we got here but that we are here…together. We’re all Warriors in our own right and together we can build a force that no evil will overcome. So “Warrior Up” and come to battle cause I’ve got your back, we all have your back.
I’ve been a warrior in many ways in my life. As a former Marine it is part of my makeup. My current battle is with Pancreatic Cancer. After losing a close freind to the disease I have made it my mission to do everything in my power to wipe the disease from the face of the earth. My kids are learning to fight the fight just like dad does. My first battle with the disease was 200 mile one day solo bicycle ride from RI to NH. I raised $8000 on that ride and it is the first of many. Dads need to lead from the front just like Marines.