Dr. Chetan Mathias

Happy Father's Day to every dad out there. 🙏

Today isn't about the practice, the diary, or the emails that can wait until Monday. Today is about the two people who make every early start and every late finish feel completely and utterly worth it.

Being a father is the best thing I have ever done. And I don't say that lightly.

My time away from the chair is spent watching my daughter sing; and I mean really watching, the kind where you catch yourself smiling without realising it, quietly in awe of this person she is becoming. It is spent outdoors with my son, watching a football match, exploring, being present in the way that only fresh air and a bit of healthy competition allows.

These are not grand moments. They are small ones. And they are everything.

I am very aware that there is a window on these days. A point (probably not too far away) where I will no longer be quite cool enough to hang around with. Where Saturday afternoons will have better offers than spending them with dad. I am holding onto every single one of these moments before that day arrives.

What I hope, more than anything, is that they look back one day and see someone who worked hard not for the sake of it, but for them. Someone who tried to show them that building something meaningful, caring for people, and never cutting corners (in dentistry or in life) is something worth being proud of. I hope I am a source of inspiration for them, in the same way they inspire me every single day without even knowing it.

I am so utterly proud of both of them. More than I will ever be able to properly put into words.

Happy Father's Day. Hug yours a little tighter today. 🖤