When fathers draw inspiration from their kids

Fathers, wittingly or not, leave behind valuable life lessons to their children in the course of raising them. But relationships are a two-way street, as the four subjects in this series of Father’s Day features attest. Fathers also learn and draw inspiration from their children. They also derive immense joy and pride from them.

“My joy in life is being able to spend time with my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Having a united family that comes together through all the seasons of life is one of the rewards of fatherhood,” said former ambassador to the Holy See Bienvenido R. Tantoco Sr.

I have “always reminded my children to have a close and personal relationship with God. Life is all about relationships. We have to nurture all the different relationships in our lives,” the 96-year-old father of six said.

Being a “loving and responsible” dad, said leading restaurateur Vicvic Villavicencio, is a tall order for anyone running a chain of restaurants, but “it was easy because they’re (his seven children) very good kids.”

He added: “They can run these restaurants by themselves, 100 percent. They’re young and quite in touch with today’s market. They now probably know more than I do.”

Like Villavicencio, Gene Gonzalez, chef and restaurateur behind the iconic Café Ysabel in San Juan, knows the value of giving his children the freedom to pursue their desired disciplines.

The two industry veterans also never intervened in their children’s choices and decisions, but their influence on their respective broods must have been so great that they all decided to join the family enterprise.

Businessman Joel Cruz, the “Lord of Scents” behind Aficionado line of perfume, also shared his experiences having children through in vitro fertilization and surrogacy. He spent untold sums to realize his dream of being a father by dealing with a Russian company based in Moscow.

In less than six years, Cruz fathered three sets of twins with the same Russian mother. His third set of twins, Prince Charles and Princess Charlotte, were “delivered” to him recently.

“When it comes to raising them, I feel that I’m now wiser and more experienced,” Cruz said, referring to his second set of twins. “The big ones (his first set of twins), for instance, have now become more independent.”

Part of his prayers is to be able to raise all his twins up as “good, caring people.” He added: “I also want to live long that’s why I’m taking care of myself. I want to see each of them get married. I want to see my grandchildren.”

Scan the QR code to know more about these four fathers and turn to F1 for their full stories. Happy Father’s Day!