For most of my adult life, I worried, and was at times convinced, that I would be a “bad father.” Like my father was. I believed it was my fate. I now know otherwise. It wasn’t a curse, and it wasn’t my fate. I’m a great dad, and it’s my greatest pride and joy to be so. It took time to know it, for it to sink in, but here I am.

I have my grandfathers to thank for showing me so much of what it means to be a good man and, in doing so, to be a good father. That’s the most profound realization I’ve had: who you are precedes what you do. It’s your character, your values, and your deep-seated beliefs about what is good and right.

And the good news here is that the inspiration and insights for this can come from anywhere. Even though it may feel like a slow, meandering path.

However, no how-to book or advice on parenting will suffice if you’ve not done the work to be a good man. Work to become a good man. That's where good fatherhood begins.