Name: Keith Nixon | City: Philadelphia, PA | IG: @Mr_DoMoreSayLess

What does being a father mean to you?

What it means to be a father to me is being a idol and role model for your child. Being a great person who is always honest and upfront as much as possible with your child as they get older and bigger. Being a father is nothing but an amazing feeling. Knowing that you have somebody looking up to you forces you to be 100x better than what you was before your child was born. Being a father is nothing but extra motivation, being a father is just a joy and a experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. Seeing your little girl or your son face everyday and bonding with them is like Sunday mornings when your mom playing her favorite Mary J Blige song and she’s making pancakes. Being a father is being everything you want to be as a man growing up in today’s society, a young black man at that. Me being a father means these three things, love, commitment, dedication! Those three words is what being a father means to me.

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

My experience with my father growing up was ok, it wasn’t the best he tried to be a good dad but as I got older and started to realize certain things, he wasn’t the man I said I would never become. I look at my father to be example of what not to be, truthfully I haven’t spoken to my father since last years Father’s Day. It just makes me laugh when someone think they deserve the credit or the acknowledgment for something they didn’t do. My grandfather is the father figure that inspires me to be great father besides. The type of father we all know and respect from one of the greatest T. V shows all-time Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, uncle Phil. My grandfather is the uncle Phil of my family, give you wisdom, knowledge, love even though sometimes it be tough love but at the end of the day you knew he cared about you and only wanted the best for you.

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

I only been a father for 3 months so I don’t really have much experience as much as others, but the experience I do have is learning to put forth the effort and staying committed to being a father for someone who one day will grow up and not really need you as much as they need you now. My experience has been a lot of late nights early mornings with my little girl but it’s these moments that make being a father so great, granted it do get hard at times but these are moments I wouldn’t want to miss for anything else!

Have you had any obstacles on your fatherhood journey?

I wouldn’t say I have or had any obstacles being a father so far because everyday your learning something new about your child. I would say being more patient is where I would say I had some type of obstacle in the beginning stages, outside of that I don’t have any obstacles with being a father.

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

It’s a great feeling and thing to being a father no matter what the relationship is like between you and the mother just be a dad and be the best dad you can be honestly. It’s not a book on how to be a dad it’s all a learning experience but it’s a great experience all you have to do is try because your daughter or son is going to motivate you be even better at being a dad!

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

Dear Father, I wish you would’ve tried harder to be a better father figure for me to either copy after as I raise my own child or just became someone better for me to look up to when it comes to being a father. But I want to thank you for showing me what not to be and what not today when it comes to being a father, that I thank you for. Maybe one day will sit down and talk again, and truthfully you wasn’t that bad of a father you did try to do some good and I commend you for that, well till next time pops peace, love and blessings to you.

PS, I don’t hate you and I still love you I just really wish things could had been better for us.

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