Happy Father's Day.

Historically, this is a difficult day for me.

My biological father has- well, lots of problems. So many problems that it was difficult to be around him and involved in his life. As I got older, I realized that the problems he was mired in were self-inflicted and I was not responsible for taking care of him. I haven't had direct contact with my father in 11 years.

Finding others to fill this role is challenging, but important. My step-father has been a good stand in, though it took about 7 or 8 years for him to settle into that role for me. For my brother, it was much quicker. I have had 2 partners who have been a Daddy to me in our kink relationship. Each was quite different from the other in manifestation, though their natures of being men who supported me emotionally and mentored me was the same.

In the last decade, I have realized that strong, male role-models or father figures in one's life are very important; every bit as important as a mother figure. Ofttimes one must look outside their blood relations for this support, and that's ok. Chance cannot always pick the perfect parent for us and have that perfectness last our whole lives. It's good to acknowledge those who fill this role for you once you have found them, too.

This is a special "Happy Father's Day" to all the leather daddies out there. Thank you for being someone's daddy.