Marvin Sapp is making the most of his time and cherishing every moment of fatherhood. The recording artist tells Huffington Post exclusively what life as a single parent is like.

“I never tried to be their mother,” Sapps says. “I think that’s the key thing, because one of the things that always bothered me is when women try to take on the responsibility of being the father and mother, and the reality is, that’s your mother and I’m daddy. And I like being dad. You don’t have to celebrate me on Mother’s Day. I’m happy being the daddy. So I’ll leave Mother’s Day to the mothers, and I’ll just enjoy Father’s Day, because my goal is to be the best father I can possibly be.”

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Marvin was left to parent three kids alone after his wife, MaLinda, passed away in 2010. “It was a shock,” the singer says of his wife’s passing. “I had to try figure it out while I was trying to heal at the same time. And when you’re dealing with the whole process and aspect of mourning, as a single father I had to put my personal emotions on the back-burner in order to make sure I was raising healthy young people.”

In raising healthy young people, Marvin had to do a bit of research. “I was a boy, so it was kind of easy with my son,” the singer explains. “With the girls I had to tap into the maternal side and be a little more sensitive, and going to the store and purchasing things that I’ve never had to purchase before. Doing a lot of Googling and reading about cramps and things of that nature so that I can have some understanding of what my daughters were going through.”

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As a single father, Marvin encourages other dads to be active in their kids’ lives. “I think the best advice I can give them is to make sure that they understand that their responsibility first and foremost is to their child,” he shares. “You might have to put your life on hold for a period of time, but that investment is worth the sacrifice.”

Photo: WORTH INK PUBLIC RELATIONS