With Father’s Day coming up, Evan Ho reflects on the joys of raising a child.
The moments of fatherhood joy span a lifetime, but they are especially sweet during the developing years of a child. For me, those moments so far have included teaching my son how to throw a baseball – and then playing catch with him; showing him how to ride a bike – and then watching him bravely pedal on his own; and demonstrating how to do basic swim strokes – and then receiving him in my outstretched arms a few yards away from the edge of the pool.
Just recently, I taught my son how to tie a necktie as he dressed up for his 8th grade promotion ceremony at school. It took a few attempts of crossovers, ups and throughs, but he finally was able to create a half-decent Windsor knot on his own. The result was an enthusiastic compliment from me about his first-ever tie, and a big grin on my son’s face as he admired his work in the mirror. Later that day I proudly watched him, looking smart in his coat and tie, walk across the stage to shake hands with the school principal.
Father’s Day is my second favorite day of the year, behind my son’s birthday. It’s not because there might be a stack of pancakes, fresh coffee, and a card waiting for me on the kitchen table in the morning. Those things are nice, of course, but the day itself is an opportunity to reflect on those times when I helped foster the growth of my child. It is also a chance to thank my late father, with head bowed and eyes closed, and think about the many times he was there for me during my own development from child to adult.
Between this Father’s Day and future ones I look forward to teaching my child more things that make fatherhood so delightful for me. I will soon take my son out on a rowboat to go fishing for the first time. I’ll show him how to put a squirming worm on a hook and cast the line out into the calm morning water. And when the bobber goes under and he reels in his first fish, I will share in his pure excitement. As a father, I am going to love that moment.