A special Father's Day

William turns seven next month, so I’ve been lucky enough to be the recipient of many Father’s Day cards, thoughtful presents, days out filled with treats, and an unbelievable amount of cuddles from my two little boys. But this year holds unique significance. This will be the first Father’s Day I have celebrated since William had his cochlear implants fitted. As I mentioned in my previous blog, ‘Our William Got Cochlear Implants’, the surgery has re-opened the door to the world of speech and sound.

I don’t think I’m alone in having some doubts about whether the course of action we took was right for William – I think that’s natural. William is on a slightly different path from others, but that doesn’t mean the final destination can’t be the same. At the resource base for deaf children at William’s school, it’s amazing to see the hard work that all his classmates put in and how they’re all developing into confident and independent little people.

For me, this will be the first year that William has been able to say, “Happy Father’s Day”. It’s the first time he’s been able to independently write a card in his beautiful handwriting. It’s the first Father’s Day where he’ll utter the words, “I love you, Daddy”. These words are precious gifts, moments that many might take for granted, but for us, they are nothing short of miraculous.

William’s implant surgery coincided with him starting at a new school. Without the tireless dedication of his teachers and support staff, and the determination and hard work that William puts in each and every day, these milestones wouldn’t have been possible.

Father’s Day this year falls on England’s first match of Euro 2024. So, until I’m told otherwise by my wife, Leah, it will consist of a morning having a kickabout with my boys (or at least chasing Joseph as he picks the ball up and makes a run for it), lots of cuddles, a nice Sunday roast, followed by an evening of cheering on England to a big win (I hope!).

To other dads, my advice is to embrace the journey. Celebrate every milestone, no matter how small they might seem to others – as we know how significant and important they are. It’s not easy, and there will be bad days – plenty of them. Days when you have huge doubts about whether you’ve done the best for your child, about what’s around the corner, about pretty much everything you can think of! But the bad days don’t last, and the good days will follow, always outweighing and outnumbering them.