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By Jen Juneau
"As Dads, I think we often feel a pressure to be this impenetrable pillar of strength," Nick Lachey wrote in part in his Father's Day message
“Fatherhood is the greatest job in the world” for Nick Lachey — but he’ll be the first to tell you “it isn’t the easiest.”
The 98 Degrees frontman marked Father’s Day this year in part with a throwback snapshot of himself and his then-newborn son Phoenix Robert, now 2, after the baby boy’s premature birth on Dec. 24, 2016.
In the photo’s caption, Lachey, 45, shared his entry in the “#UnspokenStories” hashtag trend, revealing, “As I tell my kids everyday, my number one job is to protect them. Never did I feel more helpless and unable to do my job than when my son Phoenix was born.”
“He came to us on Christmas Eve, the very definition of a gift from God,” the singer recalled. “The only problem was that the gift came 10 weeks early. My wife Vanessa wasn’t allowed to even hold him yet, so there I sat in the NICU, holding his little 3 lb body close to mine … hoping that his daddy’s skin would provide some comfort to a little baby brought into the world just a bit too soon.”
“I felt a vulnerability I had never known before and a fear I wasn’t familiar with,” Lachey continued. “I can only imagine how many fathers out there felt the same way I did in that moment.”
NICK LACHEY/ INSTAGRAM
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The pop musician went on to describe the next six weeks baby Phoenix spent in the hospital as the “toughest and yet most wonderful” time in his life.
“Now, 2 and a half years later, those weeks seem like an eternity ago as I watch my happy, healthy toddler run and climb and play,” Lachey added gratefully. “As Dads, I think we often feel a pressure to be this impenetrable pillar of strength. Phoenix reminded me that the ultimate show of strength is love.”
“The world needs more of it and Dads … we can give it,” he wrote, concluding his post by inviting his followers to “help me celebrate every dad and let him know that the @marchofdimes community is here for him.”
Vanessa, 38, chimed in on the comments section with a sweet message for her husband: “I Love You, Baby! And our Family! ❤️”
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