Of all dads, I am the most blessed.

I feel like a very privileged dad.  My youngest son (19) works at a local grocery store in our community.  I stopped by that store Thursday evening on the way home from the office (at 9:00 pm).  It had been a really long day, but we needed a few items so I had to stop.  I didn't realize my son was working, but I turned a corner in the store and bang, there he was.  The first thing he did was give me a hug.  We chatted for a few seconds (he was working), and then I went on.  He didn't think twice about it.

My older son (21) is the same way.  If I come onto a job site where he's working, the first thing he does is hug me.  When I leave, he hugs me again and says, "I love you."  It doesn't matter who is nearby.  He always hugs me and says, "I love you."  The first time a group of other construction workers saw that, they were taken back.  Now, they kind of expect it.  I think they would ask what's wrong if Jonny didn't hug me and say, "I love you."

Like a lot of men my age, my dad never said, "I love you." It was a different time, and it wasn't a common thing for men to do.  What a shame.  It was supposed to be understood.  There's a roof over your head.  There's food on the table.  There are clothes in your closet.  That means I love you.  Looking back, I understand that, but I realized that when I had my sons, I didn't want them to try to decipher that code.  I wanted to be straight with them.

Dads, providing life's needs is important, but it's not really the greatest need your kids have.  Make sure you're vocal and physical with your kids.  Words and hugs will live with your kids long after the latest gadget has broken and been discarded.  Start when they're babies, and carry it through their lives.  They need to know they're safe, cared for and most of all loved.  That builds a secure confident son (and daughter).

I made it my goal to tell my sons, "I love you," daily.  Even if I'm in another country, I call and talk on the phone or email them to say I love them.  We also make sure that when we leave the house that is the last thing we hear.  My wife and I have the same policy.  None of us want our last words to be anything other than, "I love you."   Life is more than business and work.  Dads, give the kids a hug, hold'em tight, look them in the eye and say, "I love you," and watch them melt in the heart and stiffen in the spine.  You will never regret it.