You Have To Be a Daddy Too
“Anyone can be a father, but you have to be a daddy too.”
These words, echoed by Susan Buffett, were tucked away in the 900+ pages of Warren Buffetts’ biography The Snowball written by Alice Schroeder.?
Susan was Warren’s first wife and mother to their 3 children, Susie, Howard, and Peter.?
She was known to say these words as she struggled to get Warren “out of his study and into the family’s world.”?
The Snowball is a detailed account of Warren’s upbringing and route to becoming a business icon. And while the path Warren took to create wealth is impressive, the nuances from the book of how he got there will be lost on me over time.
But those words from Susan Buffett will not leave me.?
I’m grateful for the gift of having children and, while I will forever be a father to my 4 boys, they need and yearn for a daddy.
Sometimes I get this right and sometimes I don’t.?
Sometimes I’m physically and mentally present yet other times I’m physically present but mentally somewhere else…in the stress of the day or worrying about what has yet to come.
My desire is to be their daddy.?
To play with them…the all-in type of playing where I get lost in the moment.
To look in their eyes to tell them ‘I love you’…not out of habit but so they hear it and feel it deeply.
To hold and kiss them…even when they are running by on the way to their next thing…to pause for a moment and to let them know that their dad loves them.
Thank you, Susie, for the reminder that the hard yet rewarding word lies in being a daddy.
Board President at AREA AGENCY ON AGING 3
2 年Always tried to be this. As the kids got older and busier, we always sat down for dinner together (sometimes at 10pm).
Oncology Pharmacist | EHR Optimization & Data Analysis Expert | Transforming Cancer Care through Data & Technology
2 年Here here Tim Ulbrich, PharmD! That is one of my biggest challenges. I have always had a strong desire to have a family and be heavily involved in my childrens’ daily lives. It certainly has led me down a different path than I had originally anticipated. I have no regrets about making decisions that may have “held me back” professionally at the time, but I must say that I am fortunate to have other (different/better) opportunities present themselves in spite of it. Brandon Dyson, PharmD, BCOP, BCPS, well put that you can have both when you are intentional about it AND fully understand what that means for each side of the balance. To a large extent we determine our own level of happiness and can define success as we see fit. Therefore it is our mindset that is in control!
Co-founder of tl;dr pharmacy.com
2 年Well said! I've read many biographies, and this seems to be a common theme among leaders and ambitious/driven entrepreneurs. They reach the highest levels of professional success, but they pay for it with isolation from their family. I try to remember that. My family has to be part of my definition of success. Nothing I could ever achieve professionally would be worth the cost of a failed marriage and a strained relationship with my children. You can be driven AND have a family life. It just requires intentionality and mindfulness. I fail sometimes. I can get impatient or have a hard time putting down work. But I do my best to set boundaries and make sure that "Family Brandon" shows up every single day.