Name: Aaron Levy | City: Ontario, CA | IG: @_AaronLevy

What does being a father mean to you?

Being a father is the most important relationship I have outside of my relationship with Jesus and my wife. My words, quality time, provision and leadership have the influence to frame how my daughters view men, and life overall. I strive to give practical demonstrations daily on what love looks like from a man. As a father to daughters I am more accountable to model a marriage that sets the standard of what they should expect from a future husband. Being a father is a great privilege and I take it very seriously.

Describe your experience with your father growing up and how that impacted you today.

My father is my hero. His parenting really set the example and expectation of how I raise my children. Growing up my friends called my father “pops”, and I now recognize that I was one of the only households in the community with both parents in the home.

What things did you take from your experience growing up into your own fatherhood journey?

Quality time! I remember vividly my dad driving over an hour in traffic to get home after working all day; but as soon as he got home would play basketball with me in the front yard with his work uniform on. That meant the world to me. It taught me to always have energy reserved for my children.
I also saw how my father prioritized my mom over his sons. This necessary example has helped my marriage and parenting style. I remember my father getting triggered anytime my mom would get disrespected; and I see how it triggers me with my wife and kids. My daughters know how much I love them but it is clear that my wife is the queen.

Have you had any obstacles on your fatherhood journey?

I have a biracial family. Many people don’t know this but we have a blended family as well. My wife and I have two daughters through our marriage, and we have one daughter from her previous marriage. We never treat it like there is a difference in daughters, nor when we introduce ourselves do we explain it. I just simply have three daughters. Internally it took time for us to sort out our cultural differences, expectations, discipline styles, etc. It took time (rightfully so) for my wife to trust me with taking the lead role in parental decisions. I met my oldest daughter Eileen when she was 10 (she is now 25). Ever since I got married, I always had the ownership of being her father with great joy and passion, I just lacked the character and experience to effectively raise her. I’ve learned over time to be first to apologize when I overreact or make a poor decision which has actually helped our relationship signficantly. I strongly believe that when a man marries a woman with kids, he is not only signing up for marriage; but also for fatherhood.

What advice would you give others new on their fatherhood journey?

Get around other fathers! Community is key for fatherhood! When men see an example of success, they know how to model it. The problem I see is many fathers are in isolation and also didn’t have a great example growing up. Fatherhood is a journey – don’t know it alone.

If you could write a quick letter to your father, starting with “Dear Father,” what would you say?

Dear Father, thank you for being there. Thank you for showing me what Biblical manhood looks like. Thank you for showing me what loving a wife practically looks like. I appreciate your hard work, sacrifice, loyalty and relentless pursuit for your family. Thank you for your intentionality in this season of our relationship to still ensure we are connected. Love you.

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