I’m told I say it every year, but today was certainly the best Father’s Day ever. Being spoiled by my two children, and seeing how they’ve become wonderful adults has put me in a thankful, reflective mood. I’m sure every generation thinks this, but I believe what it means to be a father has changed a lot over the past thirty years. I had the benefit of having two dads as I grew up, first one and then the other. I loved them both, but I looked for other role models when I became a father myself.
For me, it was my coaches and teachers, both as a young person and as an adult, that I tried to emulate. A great coach is someone who gives a part of themselves to make you a better person. They are generous, selfless. Coaches come in all ages, genders, races, creeds, sexual identities and beliefs, but they all share an unrelenting and often thankless passion for bringing out the best in others.
When Connor was five, he signed up to play baseball (well, T-Ball), and continued to play for the same coach for the next twelve years. David Prouse was that coach. Now, David is a cherished friend and I love him like a brother. But it’s his role as coach and father that has inspired me the most. I got to watch David coach hundreds of kids over more than a decade of wet weather, distant road games, losing seasons, winning seasons, long practices, and every kind of juvenile attitude you can imagine. His coaching style relied on encouragement, a sense of fun, and sharing tips on how the next at bat could be more successful … never, ever stressing how poorly that last at-bat or defensive play went. The only time I ever witnessed a scowl cross David’s face on the field was directed at either an opposing coach or an umpire. Never a player.
It didn’t take long before David and I became best friends and our two families did a lot of things together – weekends away, boating, clamming, and just hanging out over long holiday weekends. I got to see David as a father to his two boys and saw that his parenting matched his coaching style (OK, maybe a few more scowls!). I drank all this up, because at the time I was searching far and wide for ways I could be a better dad. Over the years, we raised our families, side by side, learning from each other, helping each other. Without question, I’m a better father to my own kids because of my friendship with David. And as proof, our kids have turned into amazing, kind, and generous adults. We are both super-proud dads.
A while back I compiled a short video with snippets of many of the kids David coached over the years to recognize his years of generosity and making a huge difference in their lives. I’m sharing this here on Father’s Day to thank David, and all the wonderful fathers, coaches and teachers that have made such an impact in the world. As Kenny Chesney declares in the video, “We’ll never forget you, Coach!”