Being a father is a gift. It offers a man an opportunity for pride in another being, for crazy play filled with giggles and squeals of joy, and for quiet moments to savor life’s simple pleasures with his children. The Connection came upon three such environments in the days before Father’s Day 2021, where dads were with their children. The first was a farmers market, the second a playground, and the third an ice cream shop.

At each location, the reporter asked one father, “What do you love about being a dad?” Unexpectedly, all three dads responded in the same manner – a pause of several seconds and a look at his child or children before answering. This is what they said.