Dear Review Committee...

Dear Review Committee,

I recognize that you get hundreds, thousands, maybe MILLIONS of applicants every year for your coveted world wide "Father of the Year" contest. However, I hope you will be able to determine from the following examples, that my husband Greg is indeed your most qualified applicant. I hope you will consider my early application, as I know most submit their requests as close to Father's Day as possible.

Every Monday evening, I attend a symphony rehearsal for nearly three hours. My husband has been entertaining our daughter Emma during this time since she was two months old. When I walked into our home last Monday, Emma was asleep (as usual) and Greg was smiling and working on the dishes (as usual). He proceeded to tell me the most endearing story. Greg was not in the mood to stick around the house after I left for rehearsal. So he packed up Emma in the hiking backpack and walked over a mile to our closest Baskin Robbins. He and Emma then picked out their favorite ice cream flavor (Emma's was BLUE! BLUE! BLUE!) to put atop a small cone. They ate their dessert in bliss and then walked the mile back home. Greg reported that Miss Emma was so happy that she sang at the top of her lungs the entire way there and the entire way home. * Please note that the attached picture is not from that night - but a separate occasion with Emma in the backpack.

In addition, Greg is constantly willing to play and dance and sing and roll on the ground with our active toddler. From the moment he walks in the door (after a VERY long/stressful day at the office) he is completely devoted to keeping Emma occupied and engaged. Emma always has a list of activities that she would like to do with Daddy. These generally involve watching horse races on "you tube", reading favorite books, dancing, and walking to the mailbox.

Greg would do anything in the world to keep Emma happy and to help her feel loved. He is still the first to hop out of bed, if she starts crying in the middle of the night, and he always gives her WAY more empathy when she needs it the most. He hates spending money on himself and encourages me to be resourceful with our finances, however, when it comes to Emma, money is no barrier and he will buy pretty much anything that she needs or wants. We know this will be curbed as she gets older, but for now, it generally involves a 25 cent sucker or 7 dollar dress from Old Navy, that she just MUST have.

If you could see the way Emma's eyes light up when Greg walks in the door, you would give him the award without even reading the other applications. If you could hear her ask EVERY. SINGLE. MORNING. where her Daddy is - and then observe the painful cries when I have to tell her that he is at work - you would know that Greg is clearly and obviously your most dutiful candidate. If you could listen to the beautiful lullabies he sings to her every night when he puts her to bed, you would know that he is definitely the most qualified submission you've ever received in your office.

Thank you for reviewing my submission. I will anticipate the sought after "Father of the Year" mug and t-shirt in the mail within days.

Sincerely,
Tammy
- Wife of Applicant
- Mother of Child