Celebrating the Real Dads
It's fairly common knowledge that my dad is not in the running for World's Greatest Dad. Nor is he a molesting abuser. He is that special brand of apathetic, lazy Dad. The kind who truly loves you and misses you, but makes no effort to actually be your father or even someone you kind of know. I love my father, but he's frustrating. My sister believes he's the anti-Christ; I believe he married it. The jury is still out on that.
My first husband, the father of my boys, is a whole other brand of Dad. He's a fun, loving Dad who's a tad misguided in actual parenting. He's their friend instead of a parent, he likes to see them and what not but he forgets to do things like encourage bathing and sleeping at night. He's like that now but he spent several years growing up, several years away from the boys when they were toddlers. These days, he just allows them to watch him play the Playstation every other weekend, eat chips for dinner, and stay up all night. He has four children with three women.
Our chosen sister, Anne, has a father that was also apparently out to populate the world. He's just as apathetic as our dad with just as evil of a wife, and just as frustrating, but with a couple of extra kids Anne didn't know about until she was an adult. My sister's daughter has a father who is an overgrown kid who is still trying to impress the cool kids. He was MIA for several years as well, but instead of coming back to her a tad more mature, he came back pretty much the same. My friend Christine has two daughters with her ex-husband. This is a guy who came to the birth of their second daughter with TWO black eyes and an 8-ball of cocaine in his pocket, regularly soiled his pants due to being impaired, and has spent a lot of time in prison for not paying child support (among a slew of other things).
This post is NOT ABOUT THOSE DADS!!
This is about the real dads I know. The amazing, non-biological parents and grandparents who have shaped and changed my life.
Dear Papa,
I love you more than anything. Thank you for being the best grandpa in the world. You are always there, always funny, and always my Papa. You can stick my head between my ears anytime you want. Without you, I wouldn't be sane today. Without you, I wouldn't feel so proud of my family and my parenting. Thank you.
*Biologically, Papa is my mother's stepfather and has been since she was 14, my stepgrandfather.
---
Dear Mike,
Oh my god. Where do I start with you? You are the most amazing father I've ever seen in action. You have been there for diapers, potty training, wrestling on the floor, soccer games, family trips, heartaches and illnesses, math questions, life questions, and everything in between. The boys adore you. You are the reason they will grow into good men. I am proud to co-parent with you. Thank you.
*Mike is my husband, the stepfather of my children.
---
Dear Big Daddy,
Wow you are a great grandpa! The boys love the time they spend with you at the farm. They love riding tractors and tooling around in the ground with you. They know they are so loved and enjoyed it's ridiculous. Thank you.
*Big Daddy is Mike's father, my children's stepgrandfather. The boys named him "Big Daddy" since he was the Dad for Mike and his 6 siblings.
---
Dear Jason,
Ashley is the luckiest girl in the world. You are so down to earth with her, which that little spitfire needs! I love when she says, "Boy, get my shoes!" You are there when she comes home from school, goes to bed, and to teach her how to be safe on her scary four-wheeler. Thank you.
*Jason is my sister's longtime boyfriend. He's been around Ashley her whole life and an active parent for about 6 of her 9 years.
---
That, my friends, is who I am celebrating on Father's Day.
My first husband, the father of my boys, is a whole other brand of Dad. He's a fun, loving Dad who's a tad misguided in actual parenting. He's their friend instead of a parent, he likes to see them and what not but he forgets to do things like encourage bathing and sleeping at night. He's like that now but he spent several years growing up, several years away from the boys when they were toddlers. These days, he just allows them to watch him play the Playstation every other weekend, eat chips for dinner, and stay up all night. He has four children with three women.
Our chosen sister, Anne, has a father that was also apparently out to populate the world. He's just as apathetic as our dad with just as evil of a wife, and just as frustrating, but with a couple of extra kids Anne didn't know about until she was an adult. My sister's daughter has a father who is an overgrown kid who is still trying to impress the cool kids. He was MIA for several years as well, but instead of coming back to her a tad more mature, he came back pretty much the same. My friend Christine has two daughters with her ex-husband. This is a guy who came to the birth of their second daughter with TWO black eyes and an 8-ball of cocaine in his pocket, regularly soiled his pants due to being impaired, and has spent a lot of time in prison for not paying child support (among a slew of other things).
This post is NOT ABOUT THOSE DADS!!
This is about the real dads I know. The amazing, non-biological parents and grandparents who have shaped and changed my life.
Dear Papa,
I love you more than anything. Thank you for being the best grandpa in the world. You are always there, always funny, and always my Papa. You can stick my head between my ears anytime you want. Without you, I wouldn't be sane today. Without you, I wouldn't feel so proud of my family and my parenting. Thank you.
*Biologically, Papa is my mother's stepfather and has been since she was 14, my stepgrandfather.
---
Dear Mike,
Oh my god. Where do I start with you? You are the most amazing father I've ever seen in action. You have been there for diapers, potty training, wrestling on the floor, soccer games, family trips, heartaches and illnesses, math questions, life questions, and everything in between. The boys adore you. You are the reason they will grow into good men. I am proud to co-parent with you. Thank you.
*Mike is my husband, the stepfather of my children.
---
Dear Big Daddy,
Wow you are a great grandpa! The boys love the time they spend with you at the farm. They love riding tractors and tooling around in the ground with you. They know they are so loved and enjoyed it's ridiculous. Thank you.
*Big Daddy is Mike's father, my children's stepgrandfather. The boys named him "Big Daddy" since he was the Dad for Mike and his 6 siblings.
---
Dear Jason,
Ashley is the luckiest girl in the world. You are so down to earth with her, which that little spitfire needs! I love when she says, "Boy, get my shoes!" You are there when she comes home from school, goes to bed, and to teach her how to be safe on her scary four-wheeler. Thank you.
*Jason is my sister's longtime boyfriend. He's been around Ashley her whole life and an active parent for about 6 of her 9 years.
---
That, my friends, is who I am celebrating on Father's Day.
posted by Sugared Harpy at 1:49 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home