As we continue to celebrate fathers, I thought I would share a Facebook post that my middle daughter Catherine (married to Josh; they are parents to 8 month old Henry) shared last Sunday on Father’s Day:

Fatherhood is so important, so necessary, and something I have felt passionate about for a long time.

In college, I became really interested in the social sciences surrounding family life and read study after study showing the importance of a loving and present father in a child’s life. For various difficult reasons, not every child receives that gift, and I am so sorry for anyone who experiences that loss. I can’t imagine what that is like. It makes me all the more grateful for Josh’s strong, steady, (and fun!) presence in Henry’s life.

A lot of times our culture makes it seem like women don’t need men because women can do it all. And they can do a heck of a lot. But today, I want to say how irreplaceable Josh is to Henry. I see the way Henry laughs and smiles when he interacts with Josh in a way that is different from the way he laughs and smiles with me. It’s not better or worse, but it’s definitively different! Josh shows Henry how to play like a little boy and one day will show him how to live like a man. There are a lot of wonderful things I can do for Henry, but I can never replicate that.

Henry couldn’t have come into existence without Josh and will never be the same because of him.

I guess today I just want to give dads tons of affirmation and credit because I feel like moms get a lot of both, but dads typically don’t. Today I want to celebrate all fathers for the unique and powerful impact they have on their children’s lives. I don’t think you are replaceable. I think you are irreplaceable!  Happy Father’s Day!

Catherine is right – dads are irreplaceable.  And when they aren’t able to be present in a child’s life, and a father figure is able to be present, how wonderful!  All of us here at The Joseph Group join my daughter Catherine in wishing all fathers (and father figures) a very happy Father’s Day!