I write to thank Francis TJ Ochoa for his Father’s Day article (“Biggest fear of this love swept father-to-be,” Front Page, 6/21/15). It was an unexpected gift that brought back memories of my own emotions as an “outsider” helplessly watching my wife’s childbearing, and all my poor attempts at making the experience a little bit easier.
Ochoa’s essay was a wonderfully accurate description of the stirrings in the hearts of young men transitioning to fatherhood. I am a parent of three children who are now legally adults, and one of the most important lessons I learned about fatherhood, is that the best gift you can give your children is to love their mother. But Ochoa’s unabashed sharing of his current emotional state made me see for the first time how this precept is true from as early as when a man finds out his wife is pregnant: The only means of outwardly expressing love for the child inside the womb is to love her mother. Here the love swept author and
father-to-be nails it.
His admiration and appreciation for what his wife is going through provide the perfect backdrop for the family adventure ahead of them and his own role in it. This early he shows great eagerness in seeking ways to be of help to his wife and to care for their baby.
In sports, as in life, visualization is indispensable in the achievement of goals. It is so healthy that the author nurtures a vision for the future of his family, of wonderful times ahead as well as challenges, all with a positive spirit of hope.
Perhaps Ochoa does not even realize it, but his heart is very much in the right place. For as long as it keeps that focus, there is no doubt his daughter Isay will one day prove all his fears wrong. He is an inspiration to the next generation of fathers. The world needs more men like him to properly welcome all the newcomers and raise a generation of well-loved human beings.
—CHET ESPINO,
Muntinlupa City