Love and fear.  Everything the father of a family says must inspire one or the other.  ~Joseph Joubert

I always struggle with titles. So, when it came time to decide on a title for this blog – which I created months ago, but have only gotten around to writing in now – I started combing through quotes on the web. The one above struck me because of its poignancy and brevity. When you break fatherhood down – when you think about all the lessons your father taught you – they all boil down to two simple concepts: love and fear.

Look both ways before crossing the street.

This is how you shoot a basketball.

Learning to fear the cars rushing past me as I waited at a cross walk with my parents is one of my earliest memories. It’s also one of the first lessons I received in fear. If I didn’t check to see that the road was clear, I’d get hit by a car.

Learning how to shoot a basketball is another of my fondest childhood memories. Though I never really played sports competitively, I did shoot a lot of hoops – when I wasn’t playing video games.

Why the obsession with what it means to be a father? Well, on August 1 (give or take a week), I will become a father. Naturally, this has led me to ruminate on what this impending job entails. Sure, there are the duties that everyone knows about: midnight feedings, diaper changes, tantrums, etc. Then there are the perils of the job: stress, sleep deprivation, grey hairs, etc. But what I really want to tap into through this blog is the meat the role: what does it mean to be a father? I think Joubert wins the award for brevity with his definition, but I want more.

This blog will be a lot of things. It will contain many posts like this, but I also hope to discuss books, movies, and web articles about parenting as well. Though I doubt this blog will be a resource for prospective fathers, I would be thrilled if anything I write here ends up being useful to someone.