Introduction

My life changed forever on September 29, 2023. My wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. A month before that, I published my first book, “The First Punch: Scrufty’s Guide to Life,” a compilation of 40 life lessons from my father that I internalized and that have shaped me into the person I am today.

The Challenges of Fatherhood

Becoming a father seemed a daunting experience to me, and to be fair, it is. Six months in, and I’m still learning how to be a father. I still struggle with changing diapers, and I still lean on my wife to do a lot of the heavy lifting. I know that I want to be there for the sports and all that comes with being a boy in this world, and I know it takes time to get there. With each month that passes, things seem to get a bit easier, and I learn how to navigate parenthood with a little more confidence. Yet, I remain acutely aware of where my strength lies.

Teaching: My Strength

My strength lies in teaching. So, just as my father taught me some valuable lessons, I aim to teach my son the same. When he was born, I started writing a book called “Letters to William” with the intention of completing it on his first birthday. It is a book of letters to my son, letters on the lessons of life that I experience on a daily basis. My hope is that when he turns one, I have a couple hundred pages of material to share with him. As he gets older and begins to experience life, I’d like to think that he’ll turn to the book and see that we have shared many of the same experiences, and that, being older, he can learn from a lot of mine.

The Purpose of This Blog

So, that’s what this blog is about. It’s the letters that I have written to my son, the letters that will become a book in six months’ time. I intend the blog to serve as a beacon of hope and shared experience for the other dads in the world – both new and seasoned. I’ve written a bunch of letters already and will continue to write right up until William’s first birthday. The letters will appear here in their raw form, and I might edit and tidy before publication. There will be other bits and bobs sprinkled throughout the blog. Other thoughts and musings, perhaps. I don’t know what it’ll turn into.

A Call for Shared Experiences

What I do know is that I want to share my stories and my experiences with the other fathers out there. I heard that there’s strength in numbers. So, I invite you to join me on this journey. Subscribe to the blog, share your own experiences in the comments, and let’s create a community of dads learning and growing together. If you’d like to stay updated on the progress of the “Letters to William” book, you can also join our mailing list.

Looking Ahead

Here’s to the road ahead, whatever that road looks like.

-Greg