My wife and I recently welcomed our third child into the world. I couldn’t be happier to be blessed with such a healthy, handsome little boy. Being a father for the past few years has taught me so much about life and joy that I would like to take a moment this Thanksgiving to share four reasons why I’m glad to be a dad.

1. My children help me prioritize and use my time wisely

Oddly enough, there’s no way I would have enough time to write an article week after week for this website if I had all the time in the world. I need children to take a lot of my time to make me appreciate the little free time I have left over. When I was single and could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, I let a lot of time slip by without using it to the fullest. Thank goodness my little ones demand my attention every waking moment and refuse to give me a moment of peace because they make me love them and get a lot more done than I could ever do otherwise.

2. I get to make someone happy every day

Every weekday afternoon when I come home from work I get to hear two excited voices shout “Daddy!” Those delightful sounds are immediately followed by my children running around a corner to make sure it’s really me. I can’t properly express how happy it makes me to see their smiling faces. Even when things are difficult and my children don’t always behave as they should, I still feel so grateful to be their daddy.

3. I want to be a better man to set a good example for my children

Since I got married to the most wonderful woman in the world and became a father, my behavior has subtly changed. I’ve made a lot of improvements. For example, instead of saying “Crap” or “Dang” when something bad happens, I try to simply say “Oh.” Many people would say that my original words were extremely tame compared to what others use, but I would kick myself if I heard my kids using those words that they learned from me to express frustration. Even those seemingly harmless words show a weakness of character. I try to be more patient, kind, and good in all that I do and say so that my children will only learn good behavior from me. I’m not perfect, but darn it I’m trying.

4. I have a reason to get involved and fight for the country’s future

I used to think that voting and getting involved in the community were just good things to do in an ethereal sense. They were more symbolic than actually meaningful. What could I really do about anything? But I now see these things in a different light. By voting certain people into office and trying to change things, I have an impact on my children’s future, for good or ill. I want to do my best to give my children the same opportunities I had when I grew up. That’s why I sometimes go into political and philosophical discussions on the Deja Reviewer website. I want to make sure that what I believe to be good is articulated in ways that allow reasonable people to make informed decisions about what kind of world they want their own children to live in.

There are many other reasons why I’m glad to be a dad, but I’ll just leave it to these four for now. I love my children, and I love my wife for helping me raise them well. I hope you’ll have a great Thanksgiving and think of many things to be grateful for this year!

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.