Opinion: To honor Aaron, a father’s love for his children

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SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah — There are pictures in my mind, snapshots that capture moments of what would otherwise be impossible to describe. How do you describe in a few sentences what it’s like to live with a man who’s dedicated his life to his children?

It started when we were dating. I learned that this divorced father was beyond serious about having his children every Tuesday for dinner and every — not every other — weekend.

Never having been a parent, I didn’t understand the devotion. It took me time to develop the respect his fathering warranted. When he proposed marriage to me, he asked me if I wanted to be a stepmother. That was what he needed to know — or the idea of marriage was unthinkable to him.

When we had sons of our own in our 40s, he came to me without hesitation and volunteered to leave his career: 17 years at KSL. Awards lining the walls. Years before that producing for Tom Barberi and Jim Dabakis. He gave it up in a heartbeat because he wanted our children — all of them — to be raised by their parents.

In the 18 years since that decision, I have watched him dedicate every day to the children: Our oldest daughter, Laurel, who has Down syndrome; her younger sister, Ashley, who now lives with her husband in Japan; our oldest son, Cameron, who is such an amazing human being.

I have often called my step-kids, my bigs, although the littles are pretty big now. And the two sons we share: Ethan, who is 17 now; and Aiden, 15.

There have been times when all five children lived with us, times when only the youngest two and Laurel were there half of every week, but however many are here and wherever the others are, Aaron is loving them.

They know he is here for them, that he will drop anything to come to their aid, that they will never want for whatever they need as long as he is alive and even beyond his death, he has provided for them. They know, as I do, that our lives will be filled with warmth and love because he is in them.

Amanda Dickson is the co-host of Utah’s Morning News on KSL NewsRadio, which can be heard on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. She is also the host of the podcast “A Woman’s View.’

More from Amanda Dickson:

• Coming back to the office after COVID-19 sent me home
• When one man’s voting rights become another’s voter fraud
• Remembering Salt Lake 2002 during the opening ceremony in Beijing
• A former Coachman’s waitress says farewell
• There should be a memorial for veterans of the War on Terror

Follow @amandadickson