Daddyhood: Being a Daddy and Not Just a Father

Author Charles Blount and his daughter Chloe practice before going to her ballet recital.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from, but where you are going.” This age-old adage wholly captures the traumatic journey of Charles Blount in his newly released autobiography, “Whatever Happened to Charlie Boy.” At the heart of Blount’s horrific narrative lies a powerful, eye-opening success story.

Seven Years Old "True Tale and the Story Goes On"

Charlie Boy loves his mother. She is really all he has, and so endures all in the heart-breaking belief that, somehow, he must be responsible… a bad son. So he tries even harder to please Mom, not realizing that he can never please her. At one point, in a rage over something of no great consequence, she stabs him. When a neighbor drops in for a visit, Charlie Boy must cover his bleeding wound as best he can while Mom puts a good face on it… “Oh, they were just playing. That’s only catsup.” Such is the life lived by Charlie Boy.

Daddyhood – Being a Daddy and Not Just a Father

Throughout
the first five years with my daughter, I have learned to change my
perspective on many things, not the least of which is the difference
between fatherhood and “Daddyhood.” Though some may disagree, my theory
is that there is a definite definable difference. The difference may
take years to become clear to a man, but to a child, the difference is
immediate.

Looking
at the term “Father,” what is warm and fuzzy about it? Not much. When
you’re at home and around your child, do you, as parents, address each
other as “Mother and Father?” I’ll bet not as a rule. To you’re child
you are “Mommy and Daddy.”

The
importance for me in trying to break the chain of abuse that I grew up
with is that “Father” and “Daddy” are two distinctly different beings.
One is biological and the other is the product of love, sacrifice,
tears, and joy.

Fatherhood
is fleeting and can be over in the time it takes to make a baby.
“Daddy” lasts a lifetime — maybe longer if you’ve done it well. I’ve
tried to do the job well so far, and here are some of the things I’ve
learned to support my theory…

Every
day our children are at risk in a world full of lies, half-truths,
bombast and moral relativism and empty promises. Children need someone
who is more than a father or parent. They need a “Dad” and all that the
name implies. Daddyhood, by Charles Blount is the real life account of
the author’s quest to become a dad to his daughter and the obstacles,
personal and parental, he had to overcome. Was it worth it? Read
“Daddyhood” and see how every tear, failure, trail, and heartache led
to insight and self-knowledge, and that led to “Dad.”