For the past decade I have been a dad.   Being a father has always been exciting for me, something I looked forward to.  It isn’t always easy.  It isn’t always fun.  It is definitely one of the most rewarding things I have done.  It is hard sometimes recalling what my life was like before I became a father.  So much of what defines me today is wrapped up in the things I do for and with my boys.  I am far from a perfect father, and I know that I don’t always get it right but I try like hell to. So now that I am looking back at the first  ten years as a father I can confidently say that I haven’t figured out how to be the perfect dad, but I can tell you 10 things I have learned along the way:

1.  I never get tired of holding/hugging my kids
2. The appropriate way to introduce kids to Star Wars is IV, V, I, II, III, VI (…and Han shot first)
3. The things that made my a Nerd/Geek in school have made me a hero at home
4. You never know when those “break-dancing” classes you took in the ’80s will pay off
5. T-ball is not a competitive sport for kids, it is an exercise in herding for adults
6. I can sleep anywhere with my kids
7. Museums are cooler with your kids
8. A cardboard box and imagination are a powerful combination
9. All the time I spent playing with Lego bricks as a kid was research
10. Every day is Father’s Day