Saturday, June 18, 2011

Happy Father's Day!

Tomorrow is Father’s Day, so I wanted to take a few minutes to say Thank you to my dad. More than a few times, I have been a little hard on my dad. Specifically, I tend to be critical of his portion sizes. It’s my job; besides, I really want my Dad to be around for a while and I know that it is important. It’s easy for me to be critical but I haven’t shared the positive part. My dad has been a wonderful role model for healthy living since the time I was little and my most vivid memories of childhood really reinforce that.

First, it is an odd memory but I remember vividly when my dad quit smoking (I’ll stress that when he started the health risks weren’t so well known). It wasn’t easy but he did it for us as a family and I admire that.

My dad has also been a great example of an active person. If I think back even from the time I was very young, my dad was never the couch potato. He taught us to find activities we enjoy and have fun with them and the family. From the time I was born, my dad played softball. He also bowled, swam with us, took us for walks in the woods, hit golf balls with us, took us fishing and kept us active.

He has also supported our efforts to be active. My dad would cut down golf clubs so that we had our own to use. He built a rope and pulley system in our backyard so that my brother could have batting practice whenever he wanted. He even let my brother pitch baseballs against the brick on the house for hours--leaving little marks in the brick that are still there today. Tomorrow, while I’m not part of the foursome, my dad is still keeping active with my brothers for an annual father’s day golf outing.

It doesn’t stop with activity either, my dad set the example for healthy eating too. First, we always ate meals as a family. Even on days when we were busy running with activities, we ate dinner together. It may not seem important but healthy families and healthy meals are built around family meals. My dad also is a very good role model when it comes to eating your veggies. He eats them all and encourages us to do so in his own way. My dad plants a garden that can feed the entire family (that includes all siblings, nieces, nephews, distant cousins, in-laws, and the neighbors). Just this past week he picked a bag of lettuce for me that has fed us all week, and I still have enough to share. He probably doesn’t think of that as encouraging healthy eating. But, giving someone 2 weeks worth of mixed greens sure does go a long way. I just can’t wait until the Green Beans, Cucumbers & Tomatoes are ready.

Thank you Dad for setting us on a path to a healthy lifestyle and thank you for teaching me how to be a role model for my girls. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you are off the hook for the portion sizes :). I love you! To rest of you Dads out there, I encourage all of you to think of ways you can be role models and get your children to be active & eat healthier too!

Happy Father’s Day!

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