NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL — When William Carter became a father, he quickly realized there was no guidebook. Like many parents, he learned one day at a time.
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Years later, after raising four children and watching his family grow to include 13 grandchildren, Carter says fatherhood taught him that the little moments often matter the most.
"You take care of your family, you do the things that families do, you find things to for all of them to get involved with, and you do everything as a family, but as long as you do that, then you'll have a great life," Carter said.
His daughter, Lisa Morris, says those lessons weren't taught through lectures they were built into everyday life.
Before heading to work, her father cooked breakfast.
The family ate dinner together and went to church together.
Looking back, Morris says those everyday routines became the example she carried into adulthood.
"I have a stable base for my family because of what I saw and learned from my father," Morris said.
Carter says creating that example didn't come easy.
"It's something that is kind of on the job training from the day you begin with your first child, you learn a lot just by trial and error," Carter said.
Now raising a family of her own, Morris says she's working to pass those same values on to her children. She says one parent's example can influence an entire family for generations.
"When you have a stable person at the top of the family, it does trickle down to every single person of that family, and so when you don't have that, it's just it, it just makes it so much harder for children to be their best," Morris said.
For Carter, the message to fathers is straightforward.
"You have a very, very serious and important job, and as long as you take that seriously, it will always be good. Just remember your family is number one," Carter said.
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