Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade sat down with The Huffington Post recently to discuss his Sept. 4 book release, A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball. The book entails his rise to the NBA, life experiences that shaped his relationship with his sons and how he’s handled being a single father. He has sole custody of two boys, 10 and 5, as well as his nephew, 7.
Wade, who says “babies having babies” was common in his family and community, shares what he’ll teach his sons about women and relationships. He wants them to be respectful, “treat her like a queen” and not rush into things like he did. During an episode of The View earlier this week, Wade discussed the rough custody battle with his former wife and how he kept his cool amidst allegations of abuse and unfaithfulness for the sake of his family and his teammates.
“I think the first thing I had to think about was my boys. You know when a lot of things came out negative towards me, your human nature is to fight back and to respond. But, I had to think about them and what was best for them and what was best for them was for their dad to make sure that I showed them I fight for them more so than fighting for myself, for words that’s put out there about me and that I can’t control.”
A Father First can be purchased from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Read the full article and an excerpt from Wade’s book on The Huffington Post website.
BMWK– What are you doing to be a better father to your kids? How has your father or the father figures in your life impacted you and your relationship with your children?