It’s 6AM on Father’s Day and I’m sitting at the dining room table without light except from the laptop glow. The kids are still sleeping and I’ve read all the news I could this morning. I’m wondering if I should go back to bed in hopes for my kids to make me something special for breakfast. Instead, I’ll just update what’s on my mind on this special day. I put a lot of titles to the many things I do in life…geek, foodie, starving musician, failed artist, husband, cook, and father of two (yes, it looks like that on my business card).
Over these past 14 years of being “father of two” I’ve bled, cried, laughed, sighed, yelled, danced, giggled, broke down, struggled, grinned, snickered, smirked, and gleamed over many situations that involved my two boys. I think I should list yelled twice.
I’m definitely not the perfect father and I’m sure if you ask them to grade me I’ll get a B- in fatherhood. I’ve learned over the years to listen to their needs (which gets harder to decipher as they get older), guide and not direct, inspire, and give hugs when they are going through tough times and in the high times of life.
All of these lessons learned are important but the one thing that has been passed onto me, I’m guessing generation after generation, is patience.
There are many times when I just want to give up and quit or keep harping on my kids for not doing their chores then I remember my father. I’m not sure how my father did it considering my past track record in disobedience. My father was following the mantra of “Keep Calm and Carry On” since the dawn of time. Even today, his patience level far exceeds mine. In fact, there are situations that frustrate me today and he just puts a smile on his face and keeps going in his true Zen-like nature.
Deep down, your kids love you so you don’t have to worry about them not loving you or hating you. My kids are in their teenage years and I’m struggling at the difficulty of this stage. I keep telling myself about patience. This patience is the same patience I needed when dealing with diapers, baby food, waking up in the middle of the night, and baths. Now this has transformed into chores, homework, and music lessons…and baths.
Try it out. Use patience and do not be quick to react. There is too much chaos out there and sometimes you need to be that calm to keep everyone going strong.
Today I’m grateful for my kids. Now where’s my breakfast?!
