It’s a question we rarely ask, but many of us so often think about. Whether we’re memoralising dads that have passed, reflecting on the relationship we’ve had with our dads throughout the ages, or thinking ahead to the values we’re instilling in our own children…
… Just what legacy have/will these dads leave behind?
I really love this video from The Glenlivet, who are celebrating the uncelebrated this Father’s Day with their #CheersDad campaign. It explores what sons and daughters value most from their fathers and what they think they will, in turn, pass on to their children one day.
It prompted me to ask Craig what he thinks his legacy to our children will be. Typically he quipped that he hoped they’d inherit his sense of humour (I seriously hope they don’t!), but after pushing him for something a little more sentimental, he said the following:
“I hope they learn how to be passionate and caring from you (that would be me, their mum), and they can balance this with a healthy dose of Me. I mean, I hope they don’t panic, can face all challenges with a sense of calm, and will continue to smile when all seems wrong in their world. Whether they get dumped, get sacked or fail a test - there’s a joke in there that they’ll come to appreciate in a few years time”
This is just so disarmingly Him. It’s what attracted me to him in the first place, and what made me know what an amazing father he would be. If I’m having a bad day with the kids and am surrounded by Lego and baby wipes (and crying that could have led to an early capture of Bin Laden had it been played on loop to his Al-Qaeda conspirators), Craig is the very first person I call. He’ll say something funny and somehow I’ll manage to carry on until he gets home from work.
It’s this that makes us a perfect team. The ability to at laugh ourselves and each other means we can survive anything as a family. I can’t really think of a better thing for us all to thank him for this Father’s Day.
