Steve Salomonsen is a Clinical Social Worker and lives in Pittsburgh, PA where he is raising two daughters! Every Dad of the Week answers the following questions, read on to learn more about Steve and his daughters!
- What was your first reaction when you found out that you were going to be a father?
- Shocked and elated. We’d been trying for years to have kids. Then we found out it was twins…..
- When you knew you were going to be a father of a daughter, who or where did you turn to for advice?
- I didn’t really turn to anyone. I just knew that I had to be the best role model and provider for them, and that’s what I strive to be on a daily basis.
- How would your kids describe you as a dad?
- “The best dad in the world”.
- What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
- Trying to protect them from as many of the dangers of the world as possible. Guiding them through COVID hasn’t been easy, for a number of reasons.
- Looking back on your life as a father, what would you change if you could?
- I’d try to be a little more patient.
- What do you do for fun with your daughter(s)?
- Anything and everything.
- What advice would you give to other dads with daughters?
- Role model the behaviors you’d want for them in a partner. Be patient, be kind, be firm, listen, respect their mother, be present in their lives.
- How have you come to balance fatherhood and outside life?
- Sadly there isn’t much “balance”. I work, and hang out with my wife and kids. We don’t have many local/family supports that can depend on, and COVID has made that even tougher. But my wife and I try to find time each day to hang out and talk, even if it’s about “nothing”.
- What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a father?
- There are so many experiences- when they were born, when they first laughed, when they first walked, when they first talked…
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