If you asked Dwyane Wade to describe fatherhood, he would classify it as challenging but rewarding. “Being a father is my greatest gift … it’s my biggest challenge in life and also my greatest joy,” said Wade during a television appearance with CBS This Morning. The Miami ‘Heat’ player and Olympic Gold Medalist has been conducting various interviews in promotion of his new book, which included a sit-down with USA Today that afforded him the opportunity to talk about everything from his rearing practices to fashion sense.
His inspiration for writing ‘A Father First.’
“I just wanted to tell, in my own words, why I think being a father first is the most important thing to me. It goes back to my childhood, and the way things did or didn’t go. I just thought for the first time I would share those personal experiences, and hopefully help someone look at things in a different way. Not saying I have the perfect way of parenting, but maybe look at things in a different way.”
What fatherhood has done for him.
“First of all, you never think you could love somebody this much. Every day you wake up with this person on your mind, and every day before you go to sleep they’re the last thing on your mind. Living in Miami, and playing in the NBA, it’s a fast life. Everything moves fast, and my kids slow things down. Becoming a dad matured me. I was already a mature kid, but it matured me a little faster as an adult — to be ready for the responsibilities of being a father.”
The sock issue.
“My kids, they’ll be wearing my socks. I’ll be having conversations with them, ‘You cannot be wearing my socks. I bought you your own socks.’ They like to wear colorful socks like dad, and it’s a big conversation we have. They’re like, ‘But yours are cooler, you have more.’ It’s this whole thing. When it’s time to go to certain events, they have their ways that they like to dress. I enjoy it, I laugh, I love it, but I’m going to have to work a little bit harder because it’s going to become expensive.”
Photo: Dania Graibe
