That is the theme…

…or slogan, for that matter, which I would hand to an advertising agency if I were trying to redefine the image of the father. A company like Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the brilliant advertising agency behind the Burger King ‘King’ commercials, Coke Zero, the Truth Campaign (this single handedly flattened the tobacco industry), and most recently the recipients of a $300 million dollar contract to, “Make Microsoft Cool.”; would have a hay-day with this type of campaign.

I am coming off a 10-day ‘play’ binge with my daughter. A time in which I dubbed, “DAD DOES FUN.”  We spent the Independence Day holiday at our summer home, and to tell you the truth, if I could make a living playing with my daughter, I would start this very moment!

Being a dad is just pure fun. Every morning I would wake up to a great big smile and a loud “Da – DA”. Then Lexi would smack me on the face a few times just to make sure I was awake and not going to fall back a sleep again. At 18 Months old she is very effective at waking me up. 

We would then head straight to the lake for an early morning wakeboarding session, one of which included holding Lexi in my arms while she giggled and cheered as we crossed the wake and sprayed water everywhere.  Then we shared a bagel + soufle’ together at Panera.  The highlight of the breakfast would be at the end when I was preparing my coffee to go, I would have her lick her finger and stick it in the PURE sugar cane packet.  I believe she loves hanging out with her dear old dad.(… and it has nothing to do with the fact that I let her do things her mother won’t.)

47 seconds.

That is the amount of daily quality time a national study determined that a father spends with his children.

“Becoming a father has changed my life”, that is what I tell anyone who asks. What they really want to know is if it changes their life in a negative way. Everyone hears the ‘horror’ stories that you will never accomplish what you want and your personal life is over once you have a child. So, is it true that having a child changes your life? Yes – but the truth is it does not have to change your ‘lifestyle’. I would argue that the people who stop actively doing things once they have a child do so because they want to. For me having a child has increased the quality of my life 100 times over.

I have become a much better person since having my daughter, Lexi. I am far more focused and, as a leader, I am learning new and influential ways to communicate with individuals. What I look forward to the most is the responsibility of helping this young woman become a magnificent person. My dream is for her to accomplish more than I have ever dreamed. To discover whom she is and help her make the most of it, and I could not do that if I was only spending 47 seconds a day with her.