On the occasion of their first Father’s Day, Austin Riley gives a first-person account of what his first few months as a dad have been like for him and his wife, Anna. On April 20, the Rileys welcomed Eason Michael Riley into the world as their first child.

There are a wide range of feelings that come with being a father. Knowing that there is now someone who depends just on my wife, Anna, and me has been crazy. Still, it’s been fantastic. He has matured greatly. I’m excited about the opportunity to impart moral values and positive character traits to him.

Eason is generally asleep when I get home from a game. However, seeing him in the morning is wonderful. That’s when he’s constantly grinning and giggling. I never would have imagined, before becoming a father, that I would be able to share such moments with Anna. You certainly don’t consider those days to be a given. It’s good to come home and pick him up on the days when I do have a rough day at the field. It improves things slightly throughout.

My parents put in a lot of effort to provide for my siblings and myself. They still put in a ton of work and never stopped. I can better appreciate their love for us now that I’m a parent because of the kind of love they showed us.

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