Who has the best dad?

What is he like?

Is it the dad who drives the sports car to drop his kid off at school?

Is it the dad who used to be a collegiate athlete who can school you and all of your friends in a basketball game?

Is it the dad who makes so much money that he gives his kid whatever he wants?

Is it the dad who can beat up your dad? (This one was the source of many a heated debate when I was in elementary school)

Ask anyone who the best dad is, and you'll almost certainly get a unique answer. We know they're all great, but what makes yours special?

The answer to this question will also be unique. I think dads are so special to us because of who they become in our eyes as a result of their love and their desire to see us grow into our shoes of potential. Our bond with our dads is strengthened by even the shortest moments that seem to pass by almost unnoticed.

Moments with Erik

If these moments shared with my dad, Erik Kerr, have shown me anything, it's that he's the goofiest, most ambitious, most hardcore and most tender of all dads!

Here are some of those moments:

Back when I wrestled in high school, my dad would make it to every meet and tournament he could. He was never a wrestler himself, but he understood how tough the sport was on the body and on the mind. He was there for all my wins and all of my losses. When I replayed my matches he recorded, I would notice him cheering for me, something that would normally get drowned out in the heat of the match. Looking back, I'm amazed at how much time he took out of his busy days to support me in my personal pursuits, even though I wasn't a star athlete.

In the summer of my junior year of high school, he took me on one of his business trips to Washington, D.C. where I was able to hang out with him and see him in a different light. I saw how goofy he was among his work associates, yet he was still highly respected for his contributions and expertise in the business world. I sat in on his presentation at a conference aimed at helping disabled veterans get back on their feet and start small businesses of their own. I couldn't help but look around at the audience, proud to be his son as I saw the audience taking notes and laughing at his jokes.

The next summer he took me and my oldest brother, Gabe, to climb the Grand Teton. We climbed to the very top together and enjoyed the majestic views that can't be shared anywhere else than at the peak.

Only a day after I returned from my service mission for my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) in West Africa (where there are no mountains), he took me hiking up Snowbird, an alpine resort in the Rocky Mountains only a short drive from our home. He instilled in me the love of the mountains that I have and continue to cultivate today. On the hike we talked about my plans for university and the future in general. He gave me valuable advice to enjoy life and to take time to have fun. He told me that that is one of the last lessons he learned from his dad, Douglas Kerr, before he passed away a few years earlier.

Moments with Douglas

The influence of fathers can go down generations. My dad speaks often of his dad, Douglas Kerr. In this case, it takes an awesome dad to raise an awesome dad! I'm grateful for Grandpa Kerr for raising such a stud.

In preparation for Father's Day, I asked him to share some of his defining memories with Grandpa Kerr:

"Every month, Dad and I would go on a father son day. These were always looked forward to. They were always outdoors on a hike, canoe trip, or something fun. On the hikes, we often brought our golden retriever, Holly or Ivy. They were named that to be the Holly and the Ivy. Holly came first and when she died, we got Ivy.

My earliest memories of these were when Dad could carry me on his shoulders when I got tired. I can still remember the feeling of my hands on his forehead I would use as support so I didn't fall off backwards. Our canoe was a heavy steel canoe I could barely lift on one end when I tried to help him. In between lakes when we had to  portage in the Adirondack lakes near our home in Upstate New York, there were several times I just couldn't carry my end of the canoe the distance required. Like superman, Grandpa would lift the canoe from over his head, balance it on his shoulders and wear it like a hat the rest of the way. This always put me in awe.

One of these trips included my first climb. I remember the care he took with the rope as he secured it around large boulder as a friction belay anchor and then around each arm, across his back as he lowered me down a maybe 20 foot cliff so I could climb back up. On the climb back up, there were moments when I would freeze. From above and out of sight, I would feel the rope tighten and hear Grandpa say, 'I've got you, don't worry.' I remembered the care he took with the knots, the boulder, and the way he wrapped the rope around himself all to ensure that there was no margin for error. With small steps, and the rope always secure, I got to the top where he waited.

Grandpa was always there for me in that way through out my life."

Our Heroes

I'm grateful for these role models in my life, and I know that there are many people who have less than ideal relationships with their fathers (some don't even know who their father is). I hope that everyone, in whatever family dynamic you're in, can find a father figure in their lives. Someone who makes them laugh, someone who's there on good days and bad days, someone who offers sage advice during hard times, someone who will love you unconditionally.

My dad is my hero, not because he dropped me off in a sports car at school, not because he was a star athlete in college, not because he can beat up your dad (because he probably could), not even because of all his success in his business career and ventures, and definitely not because he's perfect. It's because of who he became and what he did for me as a result of his fatherly love and desire to see me fill my shoes of potential.

What makes your dad the best?