Ronald Reagan

“ Fatherhood, after all, is about childhood. Fatherhood is walking the floor at midnight with a sick baby that cannot sleep; fatherhood is an arm around the shoulders of a child crying because a balloon is lost; fatherhood is repairing a bicycle wheel for the umpteenth time knowing that it won't last more than the afternoon. Fatherhood is guiding a youth through the wilderness of adolescence toward the vast expanse of adulthood; fatherhood is holding tight when all else seems to be falling apart; and fatherhood is letting go when it is time to part. ”

“ Fatherhood is long hours at the blast furnace or in the fields, behind the wheel or in front of a computer screen, working a twelve-hour shift or doing a six-month tour of duty. In short, fatherhood is giving one's all, from a child's first day of life on, from the break of day to its end-on the job, in the household, but, most of all, in the heart. ”

“ Today fatherhood is sometimes drily described as a craft or an occupation, something which competes with career or outside pursuits for time and attention. Contemporary books and articles offer reams of advice to mothers and fathers on how to improve as parents and better manage their time at home and with their children. In this era of new demands and stresses on families, we frequently forget just what it is that is special about fatherhood, what makes it not a part of life, but a path in life that has, in every generation, the power to create and renew. ”