Columnists, Opinion
 By  Melissa Cason Published 
7:58 am Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Thanks to all the dads

We celebrated Father’s Day at our house this week like everyone else. It’s a day to honor our fathers for all the sacrifices they have made for us growing.

When I was a child, I didn’t really realize how hard raising kids was. I just figured being a grown up meant I could do whatever I please without consequences or responsibility.  Boy was I wrong.

After we had Jordan, I began to see how much having children changed our lives.  We planned to have a baby, but nobody is completely ready to have a baby. They just think they are.

While having your own children is great, some people are raising someone else’s children.

I know the man I call dad isn’t my biological father. My biological father lives in Atlanta. I was 14 the first time I remember meeting him.

He and my mom divorced when I was very young. Robert didn’t remember him either.

Our step-dad is the only father we have ever really known. We always knew he wasn’t our biological father, but we loved our dad very much anyway.

After all he was the one who made the sacrifices to raise us with our mother. He had his own children, but he always treated Robert and me just like his own.

To this day, we call this man dad, and our stepbrother and stepsister are not considered steps to us. They are our brother and sister.

I do talk to my biological father from time to time. I don’t really have a relationship with him because it takes more than biology to make a father.

My dad was always there for me. He was there when I was three and had a nightmare. He was there when I went on my first date. He was there when I got engaged. He was there when I got married, and he was there when each of my children were born.

The point I am trying to make is he was there. My biological father was not. Biology doesn’t make you a parent.

Love for your children makes you a parent. Without that love and all the sacrifices that go with it, everything else is just genetics.

So for all you dads out there who are raising children whom are not yours biologically, I want to say thank you because without men like you, I would not be the woman I am today.

Also on Franklin County Times
Drone contraband is becoming a problem
Main, News, Russellville, ...
Addi Broadfoot For the FCT 
April 15, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Area law enforcement officials say they support the idea of more authority to stop drones from delivering contraband into jails. Alabam...
Oliver: Too many children are being abused
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
April 15, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County deputies investigated 85 cases involving child and sexual abuse in 2025. “For a county the size of Franklin County, tha...
Sentencing delayed again in manslaughter trial
Main, News, Russellville, ...
By Brady Petree For the FCT 
April 15, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — Brandy Dowdy will have to wait even longer to learn how long she will serve in prison after her sentencing was delayed for the second t...
Garden club hosts plant, bake sale
Columnists, News, Red Bay
In the Community
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
April 15, 2026
RED BAY — The Red Bay Garden Club held its annual plant and bake sale Saturday at the high school greenhouse to raise funds for projects across the ci...
Has the city on a hill lost its shine?
Columnists, Opinion
April 15, 2026
Ronald Reagan used the “Shining City on a Hill” as a metaphor for the United States as a beacon for freedom and democracy in the world. Joe Biden ofte...
Delta Kappa Gamma learns gardening tips
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
April 15, 2026
Our April meeting of Delta Kappa Gamma at Calvary Baptist Church in Russellville featured a lively and practical program by Trace Barnett, a native of...
TVA president, CEO announces retirement
News
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
April 15, 2026
Less than a year after he was named president and CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Don Moul told members of the board of directors he will be re...
Students’ art selected for State Capitol exhibit
News, Russellville
By Maria Camp camp@franklincountytimes.com 
April 15, 2026
RUSSELLVILLE — The art of three Russellville Elementary School students is on display at the Alabama State Capitol through April 28. Khloe Ball, a fou...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *