The first Father’s Day was celebrated in 1910, the third Sunday in June. It didn’t become a National Holiday until 1972, when Richard Nixon signed the legislation making it official. As Father's Day marks its 50th year, we decided to ask some fathers at Audible about what it means to be a dad.
I was touched by the responses we received. I saw the fine qualities of my father in every response—the tireless support he gave my sister, brother, and me, and, of course, his love. He had his doubts and concerns, as some dads expressed. My dad also wondered if he was too hard on us. While he was tough at times, he could also be putty in our hands.
My brother, now a fire inspector, saved a woman when he was a Firefighter III/Rescue Scuba Diver. Her car had ended up in a body of water. Jerry received an award. I asked my father how did the ceremony go? “It was great. Your brother just stood up there looking pretty.” I heard the pride and emotion in his voice over the phone. My father was unapologetically sensitive.
Enjoy Father's Day as your family showers you with love, and treat yourself to some special listens liked by the dads below.
Carlos, CS Operations Manager, Content Support
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about fatherhood?
Unconditional love...an unwavering responsibility and duty to care for my daughter. She's a piece of me.
What is your biggest challenge being a dad?
The biggest challenge is knowing if I'm doing enough. I didn't have a model growing up, so I wonder if I'm doing enough to build a strong foundation for my daughter's future success. Am I doing everything I should be doing? Enough attention? Enough playtime? There are so many questions. I'm figuring it out, but when she sees me and smiles, I know I'm on the right track.
During the pandemic and shutdown, how did it affect your parenting?
A silver lining to the pandemic has been time...more time to spend with my daughter. Working from home has also made a huge difference with being able to bond with her. Instead of only sharing a few hours with her after work, I get to spend time with her during the day too. She's the perfect therapy for when I need to reset during the workday.
What titles, fiction or nonfiction, have informed your parenting style?
I'm a girl dad. Raising Daughters has taught me how to raise my daughter so she has self-confidence. There are a lot of things in this world that can chip away from one's confidence like social media and bullies. I want to make sure my daughter has a strong foundation and sense of self so she feels empowered to achieve whatever she sets her mind to.
Nick, Director, Program Management
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about fatherhood?
Teaching and guidance—my son is incredibly curious about the world and everything in it. He’s still young, but I spend about half my day explaining what we’re doing and why. As he gets older, I look forward to showing him more and more and giving him a safe harbor to explore from.
What is your biggest challenge?
I’m a sucker and a pushover when it comes to him being sad or upset. He has gotten to the age where he knows how to game this pretty well, and I have to be careful. Sometimes I have to convince myself that I was right when he gets sad after I tell him not to touch a lit candle. He’s good.
During the pandemic and shutdown, how were you affected?
My son was born in September of 2020, so for me personally it has been managing the pandemic and how to help him develop while keeping him safe. Early on visits from family were tough to manage, and now it’s finding ways to safely get him socialized with other kids his age. Working from home did give me a lot more moments with him I would have normally not had, so I did appreciate that part.
What titles, fiction or nonfiction, have influenced you as a father?
Coach and Trillion Dollar Coach. But I’d say my biggest influences were more movies—Life Is Beautiful and Hook (as 90s as that is) are two that made me appreciate fatherhood growing up.
Bernard, VP, Global CS Operations
What comes to mind when you think about fatherhood?
Adding context, I’m blessed to experience a second wave of “fatherhood.” My first experience occurred in my early 20s. I honestly was still figuring out life myself when I became a father. At that time, I would have answered the question as being responsible, a provider, accountable, and steward of the family. Fast forward 20 years of raising two outstanding (in my opinion) children, lots of learning, bad decisions, and amazing experiences…I’m blessed to be restarting the journey with the arrival of baby girl Thomas on May 6th! Today fatherhood has a different meaning for me: adaptability. I truly believe my role is to allow her to become whoever she desires to be. I will encourage, educate, cheer, and support her throughout this journey called life. This will allow me to be the best father that I can be.
What is your biggest challenge?
I’m a very opinionated and prescriptive person. Probably a bit over analytical as well. So, letting go of things that are really important to me has been a challenge. You can imagine, this isn’t an attribute the kids adore either. Allowing myself to step back and watch the successes and failures has helped tremendously. In the end, everyone is still thriving!
How did the shutdown and pandemic affect your family?
The time was bittersweet for me. We were deeply concerned as the pandemic claimed millions of lives and changed the ways in which each of us relates to and navigates the world. I was happy everyone was home, enjoying the valuable and sometimes trying times as a family. I was able to truly reconnect with them, not as children but as young, freethinking adults. It was a nostalgic time for us all. But after a year, everyone was experiencing cabin fever and more than ready to go our separate ways! They were ready to get back to college and freedom, I was ready to reclaim my house!
What titles have taught you something about fatherhood?
Between the World and Me and Dreams from My Father.
Reid, Sr. Director, Content Marketing
When you think of fatherhood, what comes to mind first?
How amazing and frustrating and exhausting and exhilarating and rewarding and humbling it is—all at the same time. The second thing that comes to mind is how extraordinary mothers are. Until I became a dad, I didn’t truly understand and appreciate what it takes to be a mom. Every day should be Mother’s Day. Full stop.
What is your biggest dad challenge?
The twins are now precocious four-year-olds who continuously test limits—as they should at their age. Often it seems as though I spend too much time policing—“please don’t touch that,” “please don’t throw that,” “please get down from there,” and “please don’t glue that to daddy’s face”—and too little time recognizing and rewarding the positive behaviors. That’s probably just a by-product of the mother lode of all parental challenges: constantly wondering whether or not you’re doing a good job.
How did the pandemic and shutdown challenge you as a dad?
On one hand, it gave me the opportunity to spend more time with, and in turn, to build a much stronger bond with my daughters early on than would have been possible otherwise. I will forever be grateful for that. But on the other hand, it made it virtually impossible for me to shield them from all the anxiety and stress I was feeling during a very uncertain and particularly scary time. I learned a lot about my own limitations and the futility of trying to keep emotions in check when they need to be felt. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t always show my daughters my best self—or at least the self I thought they should be seeing. And I had to become okay with that.
What titles, have shown you something about the meaning of fatherhood?
Between the World and Me and Pops. And since there’s nothing more pure or beautiful than the sound of my daughters laughing, Sh*t My Dad Says.
Josh, Knowledge Management Specialist
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about fatherhood?
That I have a responsibility to nurture, provide for, protect, guide, teach and raise my daughter. It seems daunting at times, but I absolutely love it and wouldn’t change it for anything.
What is your biggest challenge?
Making sure my daughter drinks enough water during the day. She is always busy and on the move and has no time for this activity!
How did the pandemic and shutdown affect you?
It added another layer of complexity to this new life event. It was a challenge to adjust to working from home and welcoming a child during the pandemic. But it was a blessing—since I wasn't commuting, I had more time with my daughter in the morning and evening. It also allowed me to experience more of the milestones I might not have witnessed if I was going into the office every day.
Do you have a title that helped or guided you?
The New Dad’s Playbook was a huge help for me in preparing for fatherhood. As a big sports fan, the fact that the author is a former NFL player and used football analogies was great!
Lewis, Sr. Workforce Lead, CS
As a father, what comes to mind first?
The first thing that I think about is being a provider and being present for my kids. Not having my father present in my day-to-day life growing up, I think about how I can be there for my kids. I hope that they will feel that I was there for them while they were growing up.
What do you consider your biggest challenge?
Being someone who does not like conflict, I try to find a balance with my wife as we raise our kids together. I’m not sure if I’m too hard or too soft as a parent.
As a dad, how did the pandemic and shutdown affect you?
I felt like I was failing them. I wasn’t sure how to navigate the world around us. I was concerned about protecting them during this time; nothing was normal. As a Black parent, I also had to explain social issues that came up at the time.
What titles have inspired you as a father?
For me it would be The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. This title teaches you about manifesting what you want. Not having limits on your dreams, and eliminating the negative words out of your thoughts.
*Lewis is pictured with his kids and grandmother
Ian, Technology Team Member
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about fatherhood?
For sure, it’s the never-ending love that a parent has for their child. I had my parents tell me about this when I was growing up. But, I did not really appreciate it until I became a father.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Throughout my career, I’ve always wondered if I’ve given my children the attention they deserve. When one of my children went off to college, there was both a sense of personal remorse and the daunting realization that my time with them at home was finite, and they grow up quickly. So, work-life balance is a constant struggle for me.
During the pandemic and shutdown, how did it affect you as a parent?
I value our experiences even more so now than before. It also amplified how thankful I am to be their parent.
What titles, fiction or nonfiction, have taught you something about fatherhood?
The Last Lecture—I felt the love the author, who had a terminal illness, had for his children. Also, The Broken Cord—the father had a love so profound for his son that it left a lasting impression on me. (Even before I was a father.)
