Welcome to the May/June issue of GALWAYnow Magazine where we celebrate every kind of Dad
By PATRICA MC CROSSAN
My earliest childhood memories are of me sitting on my dad’s lap and spending a lot of time with him following the arrival of my sister just one week after my first birthday. The limelight might have moved to the newest addition to the family, but I had my dad’s attention, and I wasn’t complaining. That time gave me an extraordinary bond with him and started a pretty great father- daughter relationship. I have some lovely memories of time spent with my dad. I remember one very special day when he took me to my uncles to pick up a tricycle, albeit a well-used one made redundant by my older cousins. It was a gift that cost nothing but meant the world to me.
My father’s building business was beside our home, which meant he was always around to drop me and my three sisters and two brothers at school, Irish dancing, or to the dreaded violin lessons every Wednesday after school. A teetotaller, his social life also revolved around the home with lots of his friends dropping in for their ceile. Not the traditional song and dance kind of ceile, more the chats and the cup of tea type. Today he would be described as a father who is very present in his children’s life. How lucky were my three sisters and two brothers and I, even if we didn’t realise it at the time.
For many of our current dads, family life has changed in the last few years. With remote working firmly established as a viable option, the daily stresses of travelling to and from work are gone for some, and many dads and mums have more time to spend with their children, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on all their lives.
There’s no such thing as the perfect dad, and as much as I adored mine, he certainly wasn’t perfect. So to you dads, uncles, grandparents, godparents, and yes, you too, single moms, for stepping up and being present; stop putting pressure on yourself to be perfect. Just be present and know that you are doing a pretty fantastic job.
