Lacy Lusk, a friend and former colleague at The Daily Progress in Charlottesville (and also a fellow Wahoo as well as a Cavalier Daily sports editor), shares his thoughts on fatherhood. Lacy is a big Cleveland Indians fan, and he also covers lacrosse at The Washington Post.
Age? 39
Number of children and their ages? 1, Sophia (3)
Occupation? Sports copy editor at The Washington Post
What is the best part about being a father? Seeing my daughter grow up, watching her learn and finding out what she enjoys doing.
What is the toughest challenge you face as a father? Simply keeping up with Sophia. She's a very active 3-year-old who enjoys sleep a lot less than I do.
How do you balance career and family responsibilities? The hardest part is finding enough quality time to spend with my wife. She works days and I work nights (we have one common off day each week), so a lot of days we see each other just for a quick update. Having a job I enjoy makes a huge difference. If I didn't, I'm sure it would be that much tougher to rally at home.
What kind of challenges does you career present? Working nights and some holidays makes it tougher to find time with extended family, but it also allows me to spend about eight hours a day with Sophia. So for some of the challenges, there's also an upside. The volatility of the newspaper business certainly doesn't help.
How has fatherhood changed since you were a child? Most of the basics are probably the same. Maybe more is expected of fathers on the home front, but our dad was able to spend a lot of time with us and be a strong influence, so I don't think my role is much different than my father's.
How are you a different father than your father? I worry about being too lenient -- think my dad had a better handle on when to give in and when not to. But I try to put my family first, just like he did, and frequently tell my wife and daughter how much I love them.
What’s the best advice about fatherhood that you’ve received? From many sources, just to let my child be herself -- not try to force my interests on her, and at the same time to introduce to her as many worlds as possible.
Number of children and their ages? 1, Sophia (3)
Occupation? Sports copy editor at The Washington Post
What is the best part about being a father? Seeing my daughter grow up, watching her learn and finding out what she enjoys doing.
What is the toughest challenge you face as a father? Simply keeping up with Sophia. She's a very active 3-year-old who enjoys sleep a lot less than I do.
How do you balance career and family responsibilities? The hardest part is finding enough quality time to spend with my wife. She works days and I work nights (we have one common off day each week), so a lot of days we see each other just for a quick update. Having a job I enjoy makes a huge difference. If I didn't, I'm sure it would be that much tougher to rally at home.
What kind of challenges does you career present? Working nights and some holidays makes it tougher to find time with extended family, but it also allows me to spend about eight hours a day with Sophia. So for some of the challenges, there's also an upside. The volatility of the newspaper business certainly doesn't help.
How has fatherhood changed since you were a child? Most of the basics are probably the same. Maybe more is expected of fathers on the home front, but our dad was able to spend a lot of time with us and be a strong influence, so I don't think my role is much different than my father's.
How are you a different father than your father? I worry about being too lenient -- think my dad had a better handle on when to give in and when not to. But I try to put my family first, just like he did, and frequently tell my wife and daughter how much I love them.
What’s the best advice about fatherhood that you’ve received? From many sources, just to let my child be herself -- not try to force my interests on her, and at the same time to introduce to her as many worlds as possible.
Thanks Lacy.
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