Name: Isaac Frere : Fort Lauderdale, FL | @opusfrere
What does being a father mean to you?
It means having the privilege of being entrusted with one of God’s children.
Describe your experience with your father growing up and how that impacted you today.
What things did you take from your experience growing up into your own fatherhood journey?
I recall the cascade of emotions that I experienced the day my first son was born. I was a dad! That realization affected me with a spectrum of emotions, from unexplainable joy to sheer terror and doubt. I was excited about having a new son and, at the same time, terrified that I was ill-equipped to step up to the job. I felt I had so much to learn still about being a man. How can I teach another to become one? I thought I was short on knowledge, short on experience, and short on money to give my son what he needed. I froze. Then the nurse looked at me and said “He’s your son!” I looked at her and said “Yes. He is…” With those words alone it clicked. I was his father and nothing would change that. I would love him and he would love me back. I would learn as I go. We would learn together and grow together. With God’s help and with my humility, he would become the man that God intends him to be.
What advice would you give others new on their fatherhood journey?
I would tell every new father that fatherhood is a learn-on-the-job endeavor. You’re not going to have all the answers. You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s ok. Because your children don’t need a perfect father, they need a present father. Just show up, be present and love them. The rest will figure itself out
If you could write a quick letter to your father, starting with “Dear Father,” what would you say?
Dad,
I am who I am because of you. For that, I am grateful…
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