"I love this child, it's my child."

Tender, affectionate, amusing, stimulating, but also sometimes overwhelmed and worried, daddy caregivers do their best every day, even if their daily routines aren’t easy. They often use humour and inventiveness to make life easier for the little ones they are caring for.

Excerpts from dad’s testimonials in the Caregiver Podcast:

Going for a walk with a child like Charles is easy. In two minutes, we’re outside throwing snowballs at each other. Antoine requires 30 to 45 minutes of preparation (medication, equipment, you can’t forget anything) - Sylvain Parent-Bédard

He’ll never be what I want him to be. It’s not a question of denial, it’s a question of acceptance - Hector Guardado

There’s no way I’m going to be the man who doesn’t know what to do with the 3 kids. It won’t be like you, we’ve learned that. What I’m going to do won’t be like you. We have basic standards, things we hold dear. But if you go away for two days, you have to expect that the kids won’t eat as well as when you’re here - Jean-Nicolas Verreault

It seems that in the hustle and bustle of what we’re going through, we rarely stop to wonder how we did it. I often sit and think, trying to find solutions. I’m focused on today, on the short term - Jean-Nicolas Verreault

I love this child, I loved him before he was born, I loved him when he arrived, I loved him when he had his accident. For me, he’s my child. I do the same for him as I would for anyone else. I’m here for him - Hector Guardado

We wish a happy Father's day to all dads and step-dads, whether they care for a special-needs child, or for their father.