I didn't grow up close to my father. Yes, we lived in the same house but we seldom spoke to each other. Growing up, I often find myself at odds with him. He'd reprimand me for questioning (a.k.a. disrespecting) him. I'd resent him for a number of reasons I would rather not mention. Our fights would end with him sending me packing. But when I finally moved out after getting married, he found himself looking for me. He was having this mid-life crisis while I was just too stubborn to back down. As much as I wouldn't want to admit it, we're just too similar to get along.
Now that I don't live in his house, we get along better. We are civil to each other. We are more patient and more tolerant with each other. Being a parent myself, it is easier to understand him, not that I fully understand him.
He is 57 today. Somehow, he is not the same father I was accustomed to. He's gone soft. I can no longer use him as a threat when it comes to my kids. When I turn to him for support, he'd just come to their aid. I don't think we'll ever be on the same side.
-----------------------
I know of one father who was an absentee father for quite sometime. There was a time when nobody knew where he was or if he was still alive. When he finally came into the picture, he brought a lot of emotional baggage into the family. But nobody can fault him for his persistence to provide for his family and for keeping his family whole. He became the homemaker when he was no longer fit to work. He balanced the bank accounts and shopped for the home. He'd take the kids to school and to the park. He wasn't even well-liked by his own relatives. But, when he passed on, he was greatly missed. He was admired for preparing his family and himself for his passing on.
-----------------------
When we were little, we regarded our fathers as superheroes. This coming Father's Day, let us make them feel like superheroes once again.
Now that I don't live in his house, we get along better. We are civil to each other. We are more patient and more tolerant with each other. Being a parent myself, it is easier to understand him, not that I fully understand him.
He is 57 today. Somehow, he is not the same father I was accustomed to. He's gone soft. I can no longer use him as a threat when it comes to my kids. When I turn to him for support, he'd just come to their aid. I don't think we'll ever be on the same side.
-----------------------
I know of one father who was an absentee father for quite sometime. There was a time when nobody knew where he was or if he was still alive. When he finally came into the picture, he brought a lot of emotional baggage into the family. But nobody can fault him for his persistence to provide for his family and for keeping his family whole. He became the homemaker when he was no longer fit to work. He balanced the bank accounts and shopped for the home. He'd take the kids to school and to the park. He wasn't even well-liked by his own relatives. But, when he passed on, he was greatly missed. He was admired for preparing his family and himself for his passing on.
-----------------------
When we were little, we regarded our fathers as superheroes. This coming Father's Day, let us make them feel like superheroes once again.
Comments