Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a father who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a man and a father. Above all, the Dad of the Month is dedicated to his children. Rich or poor, famous or not, he shines as an example of what fathering is all about.

Our choice for April is Stanton Simadle, father of two.

Stanton Simandle's devotion to his children goes beyond the customary fatherly boundaries. When his first child was born he put his career on hold in order to take care of her. That decision remains one of his greatest sources of pride.

Simandle and his wife, Lynn, were expecting their first child when she accepted a position as a school psychologist. Lynn had already taken off two years from work to further her education and felt she couldn't possibly take maternity leave at her new job. Simandle chose to stay home with the baby. "I was already dedicating five days a week to children as an elementary school teacher and believed staying home to raise my own child was a natural solution to the situation," he says.

His family, friends and co-workers rallied around Simandle in a huge show of support. His fellow teachers were mostly women who understood the value of raising an infant and encouraged him. "They thought my taking time off was wonderful and that I would learn what care taking truly meant," he says. "To this day, the baby showers they gave me rank as two of my most precious professional memories."

Simandle stayed home with his daughter for nine months. During that time he established a life-long bond with his daughter, Kessler. "I learned to love Kessler so deeply, yet I knew that my bond with her only approximated the bond Lynn had created by sheltering Kessler in her body for nine months," he says. "My life could no longer just focus on me, or even Lynn and me. Instead, the primary focus was on family."

The real lessons of parenthood soon made themselves evident. Stanton realized "spending time" with his child just didn't mean doing the fun stuff, it was also changing diapers, toting an infant to church, the grocery story and every errand he ran. It meant rushing a sick child to the doctor's office and always being there when his little one needed him. But, he would never trade those days with his first child. With every sacrifice he made to care for Kessler, Simandle grew as a person, a parent and a spouse.

By the time his son, Chandler, was born four years later, Lynn was able to take off work to care for him. At the time of his son's birth Simandle was fully entrenched in his role as father and was able to quickly bond with his baby boy.

Being an elementary school principal for 13 years, Simandle feels he has more than 600 children. He is able to perform the work he loves and his career is a constant reminder of what he needs to be as a father. "My professional life revolves around children and too many of those kids have toxic home lives," he says. "Seeing them reminds me that my obligation as a parent is to make sure I do my part to help our children become as healthy as possible."

Simandle credits his wife with most of his wisdom. Through her training as a psychologist she has been able to guide him through marriage and parenthood. "I was a typical egocentric young male who had to learn to compromise and not always put myself first," he says. "Lynn taught me that the male cultural values of winning and losing are not appropriate when you try to share a life with another person. I keep trying to be the husband she deserves."

Priceless Memories
Although he has many priceless memories as a father, there are three events that stand out as magical parenting moments for Simandle. The first whisperings of magic came to him when Kessler was being born and Lynn shouted her need to push. "It was a single moment that crystallized my religious faith. God takes care of us in the strangest ways," he says. "God creating an evolutionary mechanism to assist in the birth of my daughter was an experience I could not ignore."

The second hint of magic appeared when Kessler was in first grade. She was planning a surprise party for her father's birthday and had created a list that Simandle stumbled upon. Simandle still keeps the list with his most valued possessions. It reads: "We need surprise. We need music. We need siiging. We need story. We need games. We need viteeose. We need milk. We need balloons. We need food. We need decloations. We need a circle at we can talk."

Finally, his third magical event involved his son. "When Chandler was 10 I was hitting fly balls to him and accidentally smashed him in the mouth with the ball," he says. His injury was serious enough that Simandle rushed him to the hospital. "When we got to the emergency room Chandler said, 'Don't worry, Dad. I know you didn't mean to hurt me.' Having him forgive me so easily made it a very special moment."

For Simandle the hardest part of being a parent has been watching his children make mistakes and suffering along with them as they face their consequences. The easiest part has been learning to love unconditionally. As he has watched over his children he has grown along with them and acquired more patience, understanding and love. With the love of his wife and children and the lessons earned through fatherhood, Stanton Simandle has grown into a man we can all admire.