I don’t follow baseball, but this story caught my eye and pricked my heart. Daniel Murphy, Mets second baseman, was criticized in April for missing two games for the birth of his son. Radio show hosts and former athletes said the game is his priority with one stating that his wife should have scheduled a c-section. The game is more important than being a dad. This is why so many children don’t receive the attention they need from fathers: society does not require fathers to be present.

Murphy said it never occurred to him not to be at the birth. His litmus test in response to the critics is being able to answer his son’s questions about his entrance into the world.

That is the definition of a dad.