You never know how hard it is to be a father until you are facing a screaming 2-year-old or a rebelling teenager.

My father was a good man. He enjoyed giving gifts to Mother and me. He was easygoing, enjoyed life and struggled in my early years to make a living.

He came from a large Irish family with an alcoholic father. When he finished eighth grade, he worked to support his mother and his 11 siblings.