Dads are special in so many ways.

 

This Father’s Day, we want to share stories about fatherhood from our Ambassador community. We asked our community how life changed after becoming a father and what being a father means to them.

 

Read on to learn about all the ways their lives changed for the better! 

 

 

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Ambassador name: Michael Earnshaw
Location: Munster, IN
Favorite Athletic brew: Tucker's West Coast IPA

 

How did your life change when you became a father?

Once I became a father, it wasn't just about me anymore. It was about living a life that not only fulfilled myself, but set an example for my kids. Choices I made, goals I set, now not only affected me, but those who were looking up to me. 

 

I've been an educator for nearly 20 years, and I know the importance of me being my kids' first teacher. Once I became a father, I felt the power of the responsibility to instill confidence in my two amazing kids, inspiring them to know that they can, and will, accomplish hard things. They will fail throughout life, but they will always have my support and the strength within themselves to pick themselves back up and keep moving forward.

 

What does being a father mean to you?

 

Being a father to me is setting that example for my kids that we need to set goals – hard goals – and have the discipline to work towards them. It's OK to fail and miss our target, but that cannot be the end. We will reflect, readjust, and continue to learn and grow. 

 

I have been a runner my entire life and have completed seven marathons. The last one – Chicago in 2024 – was the first one my kids came to with my wife to support me. Seeing them a little after the 13.1 mark brought a feeling over me I can't explain. As I continued to run, tears filled my eyes, and I felt, for the first time, that I wasn't running this race for me: It was to show them what can be accomplished with the right mindset and support system. 

 

I saw them again around mile 24. I was tired. Shortly after seeing them, I received texts from them telling me I got this and to keep running. Those texts meant more to me than they'll ever know. Being a father means showing my kids that life can be hard, like a marathon, but we are stronger and will come out on top.

 

 

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Ambassador name: Matt Strain   
Location: Durham, NC
Favorite Athletic brew: Rainbow Wall, Downwinder

 

How did your life change when you became a father?

 

I became a dad at 42 – a little later than many fathers. The biggest change was in priorities. Suddenly, there was someone more important than anyone in the world: my daughter. I was willing to do anything for her, and later, her and her little brother.

 

It started with me stepping away from my 20-year career as a cook/chef and becoming a full-time stay-at-home dad. Shortly after that, my doctor let me know that I had to make some big changes in my life. After decades of reckless living, my body wasn’t doing well, and I needed to stop drinking right then and there. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. It was also the best thing I’ve ever done for myself or my family.

 

Eleven years later, my health is better than it has been since I was in my 20s. I’m fully present for my family and truly living my life to the fullest. Now, my kids are 11 and ,8 and they are in school most of the day. I spend my time volunteering with the National At-Home Dad Network and their schools, training for triathlon, and being dad to two increasingly busy kids.

 

 Between scouts (Girl and Cub), swimming, Girls on the Run, archery, and all the other activities they do, I spend a lot of time getting them to meetings and practices. The bonus is that I’ve been able to watch them grow into the amazing people they are becoming.

 

I never once thought that this would be my future, but I’ve never felt happier or more fulfilled. Becoming a father gave me a new purpose in life. I want to make the world a better place for them so they can live in that world. I want to make memories they can cherish for their whole lives. I want to live my life in a way that shows them what it means to be a good, kind, and caring person. I want them to see me striving to do hard things. I want to show them how to face both success and failure with grace.

 

What does being a father mean to you?

 

Being a father means giving unconditional love and support to my kids. It means maintaining an intentionality in how my wife and I raise them. It means being fully present with them to laugh and cry through the good times and the bad. There are so many moments that I will cherish forever: the days they were born, their first steps, holding them while they cry knowing all I can do is be there for them, and even the first time my daughter told me I was “cringe.”

 

It means embracing their absolute exuberance for life and undying curiosity about the world. It means being wrong sometimes, acknowledging your mistake, and apologizing to them. It means listening to my kids, letting them be who they truly are, and learning from them as much as they learn from me. Becoming a father is the best gift I have ever been given.

 

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Ambassador name: Christopher Littrell
Location: Kennewick, Washington
Favorite Athletic brew: Run Wild IPA

How did your life change when you became a father?

 

I was no longer responsible for only me. Becoming a father started the process of laying down my selfishness for the greater good of others.

 

What does being a father mean to you?

 

Being a father means being a leader. It means leading my daughters in faith, love, vulnerability, courage, selflessness, and service. It also means humbly learning these same values from them.

 

 

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Ambassador name: Bill Hood
Location: King City, OR
Favorite Athletic brew: Run Wild, but my list of favorites is expanding.

 

How did your life change when you became a father? 

There was some short-term panic when I realized babies didn’t come with a user manual or a 1-800 support line. My comfort level gradually increased with additional children -- until the teen years. Becoming a grandfather (six times over) has been a joy.

 

What does being a father mean to you?

 

I grew up in a perfection-expectant household, which induced quiet rebellion on my part; as a parent I’ve learned it’s important to relax and accept my children as the individuals they are. I try to set good examples and do the right thing.

 

 

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Ambassador name: Mac Caplan
Location: Wayland, MA
Favorite Athletic brew: Tropical Sour

 

How did your life change when you became a father?

 

When I became a father, everything in my life became reoriented around that new identity and the new responsibilities of fatherhood. I was still myself – a husband, a teacher, an athlete, a reader – but I was doing everything with the knowledge that my child would be learning from me, looking up to me, and sharing experiences with me.

 

I vividly remember holding my son in the hospital the afternoon after his birth and feeling like he had always been in my life, and the same thing happened when my daughter arrived. I can remember life before becoming a father, but I can't imagine my life any other way.

 

What does being a father mean to you?

 

Being a father means that I get to be a role model for my kids, that I get to share in their exploration of the world, that every trip around the sun brings with it so much excitement and change. I try to remind myself every day that I'll only get to be with these kids for that one day because the next day, they'll be different.

 

I'm constantly amazed at what my children can do and how fast they learn and grow.

 

For more information about the Athletic Brewing Ambassador community, visit https://athleticbrewing.com/blogs/ambassadors