If there’s one thing I’ve learned on this journey called life it’s not to take fatherhood for granted. I have been given a gift in the form of a child and nobody else has one quite like him. My child is unique and rare and can never be duplicated. Although it’s quite a responsibility being a father, it’s something that can pay back such high rewards. That is why I try to never take it for granted.
Sometimes it’s hard. After a rough day at work and a splitting headache the last thing I want to do is chase my child around the house looking for a hug, which is our current coming-home game. Sometimes I just need to walk in the house and arrive for a few minutes before the demands start. These are the times when I find it hard to take the time to enjoy fatherhood but I buckle down and do it. Someday I’ll be walking into an empty home and will miss my child screaming, “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!”
So I enjoy it today. Even after the boss has yelled at me and the heater broke in the car on the way home and my toes felt like they were going to break off from my feet. I want to have kids and I want to experience everything that goes with it. Even when I don’t want to; I want to. Try explaining that to someone that isn’t a father!
I guess everything falls into place best at night when I am tucking them into their twin over twin bunk beds. I love this time because we can have a good heart to heart. Sometimes they tell me what’s on their minds or what’s happened during the day. Some nights they’ll tell me about their dreams and what the future holds for them. It’s really a beautiful time where we can connect and even escape reality for a bit. Sometimes I sit on the edge of their bunk beds and tell them about my dreams.
It’s funny how my dreams have changed from owning a fancy car and getting it detailed twice a year to wanting the best for my kids and worrying about their education. It’s funny what one child can do to one man’s universe. Everything seems to have shifted and I don’t really mind at all.
Don’t take fatherhood for granted. It is something that will be gone in the blink of an eye and you’ll miss it terribly once it’s reached the next level and your child is out of the home. That’s one thing I’m sure of.