INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – More than a dozen dads sat with their kids Saturday, munching on donuts and sipping coffee while author Sherry North read her newest book, “Because I am Your Daddy,” in honor of Father’s Day.
“It reminds me of my purpose,” dad Kyle Trowbridge said of Father’s Day. “It’s no longer about me. It’s about her, which is a relief,” referring to his 4-year-old daughter, Charlee.
Trowbridge’s family just happened to come into the Vero Beach Book Center Saturday, not realizing the center was putting on its third annual Donuts with Dad event.
“It was a happy accident,” Trowbridge said.
Author Sherry North read to the families from her latest children’s book – a book of affection and adventure, a combination she said she hoped would appeal to dads and encourage them to read more to their children.
Citing a poll that showed 55 percent of dads read to their kids – but only once or twice a month – North said she wanted to create a book that would inspire dads.
“It’s not a bad start for dads,” North said of the 55 percent mark, “but hopefully we can do better.”
North, a mother of a 6- and 4-year-old, said she’s more apt to read to her kids when she, herself, is interested in the subject matter.
As for Father’s Day, North said it should be a day for children and moms alike to take a step back and appreciate dad.
“It’s easy to take for granted what dad does for the family,” North said.
For Trowbridge, Father’s Day provides him an opportunity to talk about what being a dad means to him, which he wouldn’t otherwise really talk about, he said.
Being a dad, “it puts things in perspective,” Trowbridge said, explaining that certain small things that would have bothered him in the past, don’t seem as significant now. “It’s been enlightening.”
