Our 718th Dad in the Limelight is Mike Smith otherwise known as Sunshine Dad. I want to thank Mike Smith for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing Mike Smith with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)
I think of myself as a regular guy. I was born and raised in north central Florida. I believe the Bible is true, I enjoy being outdoors, I take pride in being a handyman do-it-yourself kind of guy and I love to laugh. My limelight, however dim it may be, is found over at SunshineDad.com where I blog about my adventures being a dad.
2) Tell me about your family
I got married 13 years ago and we now have 5 kids: A 7 year old son, 5 year old son, 4 year old daughter, 2 year old son & 10 month old son.
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?I am a stay-at-home dad to my 5 kids. That has been a huge challenge to me for many reasons. For one, guys just don’t have the same network available to them for support that the at-home moms do and two, it has been an adjustment as far as traditional husband/wife, man/woman roles around the house. I sort of do all of them. Plus, you know, 5 kids are just a lot of work.
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?My biggest advice to other dads is to just be there. Nothing can replace you physically being involved in your kids life. Your kids are only young for such a short period of time, don’t waste that opportunity.
5) How have you come to balance parenthood and outside life?
I consider being a parent my most important job right now but I haven’t completely abandoned other things in my life that I enjoyed before we had kids. I am heavily involved with a local improv comedy group and I play in adult sports leagues when I can.
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?I’m always amazed at how much I enjoy watching other dads love on their kids and play with them and interact with them.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?Some days as a dad I feel like a failure because I yelled at one of the kids or I responded in a way I wouldn’t want them to respond but they always forgive me and they love me so much, it makes me want to be a better dad for them.
8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?It’s so wonderful for me to get to expose my kids to something that I loved as a child and watch them enjoy it too. Taking them to their first Florida Gator football game, or going with them for the first time they get to ride Space Mountain at Disney, silly stuff like that. The first time they’ve met their newest sibling has always been a really special moment too.
If you have any questions for Mike Smith, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
Also, do you know a Dad in the Limelight? If so, please email me their contact information so that they too can be a part of this series!
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