We think next Sunday is one of the greatest days of the year. It's a time when we dads are recognized for the important job we have all year. Being a father is difficult, agonizing, worrisome, thrilling, rewarding and wonderful - all rolled into one big package. On those particularly long and trying days when Bill's sons were younger, he would occasionally say, “Parenthood is really great - there's just too much of it.”  Parenthood is definitely consuming, and sometimes you can get lost in the whirlwind. But this weekend is a time to celebrate all that fatherhood is and to consider what you can do to make it better.
The holiday became official when President Lyndon Johnson signed into law a declaration that the third Sunday in June would be Father's Day. It took a while, but fathers finally got their due.
This Father's Day consider what kind of father you are, what example you show to your son or daughter, and where you can make improvements in your relationship with your child. Take the weekend to share some time, strengthen the bond, and understand your offspring a little better.

The Active Father
There are many things you can do with your child this coming weekend. A few options: Go for a walk. Ask what's new. Make sure you listen. Share your love of food. Shop, cook and eat … together. Pitch a tent. Visit a park or the zoo. Watch a movie, go to a concert or take in a play.  Clean out the garage or basement or catch-all closet. Improve something. Give the dog a bath. Visit the library. Read and discuss a book. Grab lunch out. Play a game. Ride bikes. Volunteer some time in your community. Call other dads and make it a multi-family all-volunteer force.

Be a Better Dad
Think about how you can be a better dad this Sunday. Be honest. Where have you been impatient or absent or unresponsive? What trait(s) would you like to improve? What part of your relationship would you like to strengthen? Promise yourself to do it.
If you've been estranged from your child, give some serious thought to how you can improve that relationship and increase your presence in your child's life. Kids benefit from good parenting. The important thing is that you give it your best try. As Bill Cosby has said “If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right.”
Happy Father's Day.
Contact Tom Tozer of Smithville and Bill Black of Murfreesboro, at tomandbill@goodfathernetwork.com