Good Fathers Make Motherhood Richer

by Candace Alper

The rewards of motherhood reveal themselves to me every day. The revelations are sometimes seemingly screaming and colourful and other times are as subtle and soft as a whisper.

My own personal and private joys are in the everyday moments that I have with my daughter. She is 9 years old now and every day that she bolts through the school doors and exclaims “Mommy” with open arms are among my most cherished rewards of the moment. These, I am sure, are fleeting and I cling
to them, as I do to her – fiercely.

This time of year is always cause for some serious reflection for me. It starts on Mother’s Day and continues through to my birthday in early June. I give a lot of thought to my life – where I’m at and who is in it with me. Reflecting on my life as “Mom”, I have come to realize that there are
relationships in my life that have been forever changed and enhanced because of it. My own foray into motherhood would be profoundly different if I did not share it with the men in my life – my father and my husband.

My father shares a very special relationship with my daughter. In a way, it is his second chance at being a father. He takes this role with a mix of seriousness and pleasure. I grew up in a “wait till your father gets home” home. He worked hard, long and late. He was the provider and he did it well.
In my daughter, he is free of the responsibilities of a successful career. He is a full and active participant in my daughter’s life and has said many times “I didn’t do all of this with you” and sometimes, he has looked so sad when he has these realizations. One of the greatest rewards of my own
motherhood is giving my father the opportunity to experience the joy of a dad all over again. I have had the opportunity to go the zoo, the park, walks with my dog and Disneyworld with my Dad and with my daughter. In this way, you really can go back.

Of course, there is my husband, the one with whom I share all of the rewards of motherhood. I share them with him because we are in this together – she is all ‘ours’. One of my favourite things about motherhood is witnessing the specialness of the relationship between my daughter and my husband. They
struggle through Grade 3 math, they make popcorn and watch movies, they ride bikes and go to rock concerts together. They fall asleep cuddled in bed together with their books rising and falling on their chests with each breath.

The greatest joys and rewards of motherhood, is giving these two most adoring men, the greatest joy – fatherhood.

Both Hannah and I are blessed and grateful.

Candace Alper is the Creator/Executive Producer of Name Your Tune CDs (www.nameyourtune.com). Along with Hannah and Eric, she calls Indigo, a 12-year-old Shih Tzu, part of the family too. You can find Candace on Twitter @NameYourTuneCDs

Pleasantville Note: I love the Alpers. Truly. They are such a amazing and sweet family, it’s hard not too. Plus, Candace spells her name correctly 🙂 If you go back to the homepage, you’ll see an incredible photo of our happy family sliding by. That photo was captured by another dear friend, Cherie Lynn from CL Buchanan Photography. This makes me smile because my friends criss cross in the most delightful ways.