Father's Day Tribute

It’s Father’s Day, the one day of the year when dad’s get to sit back, relax and not lift a finer the entire day. No wait, that’s his birthday. Nope, it’s every other Saturday. Sorry, wrong again, it’s every day.

I’m just kidding. Mostly.

In honor of the Father’s and Grandfather’s in the kiddo’s life, I thought I’d put together a tribute. Minus the cheesy music and photo montage.

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Left to right: Dad-oo, Grandpa Bill, Grandpa Jim

Dad-OO

You have meet Dad-oo on a few occasions, and I’ve even written about him a time or two. But you haven’t met the real Dad-oo yet.

I remember that while I was pregnant, Dad-oo on occasion worried about the kind of father he’d be, as most soon-to-be dads are. During my labor and delivery (all 26 hours of it) he ate. And ate. And ate. I’m pretty sure that he ate my hospital breakfast and lunch. Plus all of the snacks we had packed away, and anything that was in the freezer in the guest kitchenette down the hall. He was nervous, to the say the least.

And then this magical, beautiful, perfect little boy entered the world. And if Dad-oo still has doubts about his abilities as a father, I haven’t heard a single word.

They say that a woman turns into a mother once she is pregnant. And that a man turns into a father when the child is born. It’s so true. I love the man that Dad-oo has turned into. Caring, strong, unflustered. He plays with the kiddo in ways that I never would have imagined (zombies anyone?). He’s my sounding board for parenting woes and frustrations. He’s level headed, witty and always, always, sarcastic.

In short, he’s the dad I always knew that he would be. Perfect in his own imperfect way.

Grandpa Bill

The kiddo has so many grandparents, and grandparent-type people in his life, that we sometimes have to include their first name, just so we can keep everyone straight. Grandpa Bill is my dad.

The last 10 years have been rocky, I can’t sugar-coat that. But I’m also not going to dwell on it. The event that finally turned everything around, and brought us closer together, was the birth of my son. It’s amazing how things change once you have a kid.

My dad had three beautiful (obviously) girls, me, and my two younger sisters. So he never had the opportunity to raise a son, but I know that he would have been a great parent to a son. He’s an amazing grandpa. He plays, and plays, and plays…never seeming to tire of it. Elmo sticker books, soccer, golf, going down the slide. The sandbox, cars, and just running around throwing balls. I love seeing them together. It reminds me of growing up, of happy times. Of being a family.

I’m so thankful for the relationship that I have with my dad now. It’s not perfect, but it’s perfect the way it is.

Grandpa Jim

Grandpa Jim is Dad-oo’s dad, so I asked him to step in to share a few thoughts:

My dad has always been my role model, even more so than Joe Montana whose posters I had plastered all over my wall as a kid. I used to try an walk like him when I was a kid and I try to act like him as an adult. He taught me about sports, how to enjoy quiet, many of my values and a great deal about life. He also kept me in line when I needed it, which I don’t think was THAT often.

I’m eternally grateful that my dad, after overcoming a very rare sort of brain cancer, had the chance to be Grandpa Jim. He was given a prognosis of months before Eli was ever even conceived. Now Eli’s two and he loooves his Grandpa Jim. They in general are a couple of goofballs together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Do you have a special father or grandfather in your life? What makes him so special?

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