“My sincere hope is to inspire both fathers and mothers who may feel challenged by single parenthood or by your current situation. I’m really writing for all parents, including those foster parents or relatives who raise kids that may not be biologically their own, as well as coaches, teachers, advocates, and mentors. By investing our love and energy and time in young people and in their development, we change and heal our world,” writes Dwyane wade in an essay for CNN.com. The Miami Heat star says that being a father is the single most important aspect of his life. Read on to find what lessons the father of two has learned as a single parent:
When I became a single father, I joined the increasing number of dads who value the importance of raising their children.
Last year, I wrote a book about my experience and the importance of all fathers being present in their children’s lives. Addressing the fatherlessness issue across the country, I’ve also teamed up with President Obama to support his Fatherhood & Mentoring Initiative.
Being a father is the most important and rewarding thing I will ever do, and I strongly encourage all fathers to love and take responsibility for their children.
It occurred to me that there was no guidebook out there that defined and detailed what being a great full-time single dad really was. Where was the game plan for getting this right? Well, if there wasn’t one, then I would need to draw from the past and do the legwork to create one of my own.
Fatherhood, to me, isn’t something you do for awards or acclaim. It’s a privilege and a huge responsibility. Of course, the recognition I’ve been given has been flattering — except I don’t think it makes sense to honor me for what I should be doing in the first place. That said, I do hope that by opening up in ways I haven’t in the past, I can encourage other fathers or father figures to get more involved with their kids’ lives.
Another reason I wrote this book is for my sons, Zaire and Zion. My hope is that in retracing some of my steps in life, both successful and not, I can pass on important lessons taught to me by others and that I had to pick up on my own. But I also want them to know there are no shortcuts or easy answers to being a father first, my life’s mission. I want them to know I’m learning still, sometimes on the fly.
Who really tells you how to be a dad? No one. Which is why I wanted to share my discoveries about how every child is different and you therefore have to parent each differently. I want to address the priorities I’m a stickler for — my beliefs about respect, responsibility, hard work, having dreams, and always being open to learning. Just as important, I want my boys, including my nephew Dahveon, to know they are my best teachers when it comes to being a good father.(Read More)
Wade, who recently put the final touches on his divorce from high school sweetheart Siohvaughn Funches, was told by a Miami-Dade County family judge this week that he could not prevent Funches from being with Zion and Zaire during her scheduled time of parenting. Dwyane was hence ordered to surrender his sons to their mother with Siohvaughn agreeing to undergo a psychological evaluation at the request of her ex-husband.
