I am continually amazed how life places us in situations where we learn to give to others. Like most fathers, I struggle with caring and intimacy with my daughters. One of the ways that has helped me find a common ground with them is through sports and the values that they can teach. However, helping a child reach her potential in any endeavor, whether in sports or academic studies, can be a difficult and trying experience. As a father, teaching my daughters about athletics seemed awkward at first and a role many fathers may be somewhat hesitant to approach. Over the years, I have found my parental journey with my daughters to be both enriching and difficult, much like most experiences that life has taught me.

While both my daughters have played basketball, this story reflects the trials and tribulations of helping my oldest daughter, Paige, who has completed her college basketball experience. For many males, sports and parental values are intertwined and may bring back memories of their own childhoods, whether good or bad.

I had played basketball in college and loved the game. It would be a cliche to say that basketball has been an important part of my daughter’s life. Without it, a big piece of her would be missing from the person she has become. And more important than playing basketball, it gave my daughter and myself an opportunity to get to know and love each other in ways I had never realized. Basketball provided a rare experience, something fathers and daughters involved in sports can share together. At times, the experience had heightened significance because I was not her biological father.