Setting Sail – A Father's Journey Reimagined

Guest Poetry by David Hirsch

Founder, 21st Century Dads Foundation, Host, Special Fathers Network Dad To Dad Podcast

IMAGE: Adobestock

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following poem is by David Hirsch, from Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) Circle of Friends member 21st Century Dads and the Special Fathers Network (SFN). SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. David wrote his poem as an homage to Welcome To Holland, by Emily Perl Kingsley, a short essay intended to comfort other parents caring for special needs children. We're reprinting David's poem here with his permission:

Setting Sail: A Father's Journey Reimagined

I thought fatherhood would be like sailing.



A calm sea.

A sturdy boat.

A straight line from Point A to Point B.

Sure, there’d be storms –

Some choppy waves,

A gust or two to keep me alert –

But I’d be the captain.

I’d steer the course.

I’d know where we were going.

So I packed charts.

Studied the wind.

Planned the journey to perfection.

But when the child arrived,

The map changed.

The compass spun.

And the winds blew us somewhere I never planned to go.

This wasn’t the cruise I envisioned.

We drifted into uncharted waters,

Currents that pulled without warning,

Waves that spoke a different language,

Shorelines no one else could see.

At first, I panicked.

I tried to right the sails.

Tried to force us back to the route I knew.

But slowly, I realized –

We weren’t lost.

We were on a different voyage altogether.

Not less beautiful,

Just less known.

I saw things I never would have noticed:

The color of silence.

The joy of small harbors.

The strength it takes to float

When the wind disappears.

My child wasn’t a passenger.

They were the navigator –

Showing me the stars,

Teaching me how to read the sky all over again.

I’ve come to love these waters.

They are deeper.

Wilder.

And they’ve made me a better sailor.



So, no,

I didn’t end up where I thought I would.

But I am exactly

Where I’m meant to be.

– David Hirsch

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Daddying Film Festival & FORUM 2026

Call for Entries Open Through December 8th!

The 5th annual Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) welcomes film and video submissions, including TikToks and Instagram reels, from students (3rd-graders through undergrads), Dads/Granddads, Dad figures, and indie filmmakers worldwide! Submit videos/films on D3F's FilmFreeway page through Monday, December 8. The earlybird discount deadline is TOMORROW, Friday, October 24th! Send us your films/videos and help celebrate the importance of involved Dads/dad figures!

We're rolling out D3F 2026 Official Selection announcements – YOUR film/video could be next!

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David Hirsch is the father of five adult children, ages 28-35 and two grandchildren, founder of the 21st Century Dads Foundation (2015) and Illinois Fatherhood Initiative (1997), host of the popular SFN Dad To Dad Podcast, now with more than 380 episodes, and author of the book, 21st Century Dads: A Father’s Journey To Break The Cycle Of Father Absence. He also gave a TEDx Talk titled, Why We Need To Break The Cycle Of Father Absence, which has more than 36K views on YouTube. David is also a Senior Vice President with UBS Financial Services in Chicago and has been a financial advisor for more than 40 years. He's completed four endurance bicycle rides, known as the Dads Honor Rides (DHR): DHR 2015 Santa Monica to Chicago (2,300+ miles), DHR 2016 Boston to Chicago (1,400 miles), DHR 2017 Around Lake Michigan (950+ miles) and Race Across America (RAAM) 3,000 miles in 2023. When not advocating for father involvement or advising clients about their investments, David enjoys underwater photography, reading, and adventure sports, including Ironman Florida.