Honouring the greatest dad in my world today
It’s Father’s Day in Singapore and it’s so nice to be able to celebrate
this day with my boys to honour the most beautiful dad I could ever hope for my
kids.
Seriously, I know everyone reckons their husband is the best dad ever, but
I hit the jackpot with Steve. I read Stephen Biddulph’s
‘Raising Boys’ when my lads were little. In it he writes that mum has her boys
until six, dad from 6-12 and then they belong to the world.
I cannot tell you how lucky I feel that during this age, their dad is
very very present.
Working from home,
Steve works his arse off when the boys are at school and then he stops
everything to do homework and take them to their various sporting activities. On
the weekends, he’s always out and about, going on adventures, making sure they
have a blast.
Naturally the boys have no bloody idea how remarkable this is. Often the
only dad at school, he’s always there, always present, always making sure the
boys are number one in his life. It’s pure magic to watch and one day, my
little dudes are going to realize that they have a very special dad indeed.
It’s not easy being a present dad. He is always the recipient of their
ingratitude. He is told he is hated on a daily basis. He is told “this is the
worst day ever” regularly too. Man that shit cuts deep when you are putting
everything into your kids, but he never gives up, never steps back. He’s in it
and those boys are going to love him for that. Well they already do, but they also
know words are powerful and can really, really
hurt. Bloody kids.
Both Steve and I have worked hard to build a life where we can work in a
way that means we can be present for our kids. The last four years have been
brutal for me, having to go back to regular work, where I was required to be in
an office most days. I can not tell you how miserable that made me. I needed
freedom. I needed to work on my terms. I needed to work where I wanted to work
and when I needed to work. I needed to be able to attend school stuff too,
without feeling guilty about it.
I needed what the future promise of work is. I just needed it before the
world of work was ready to offer it completely. That reality is getting closer.
I love technology for that.
So in the last couple of months, it’s been nice to step back into that
dream. I needed to do what I did work-wise, to give me the exposure to get
where I ultimately wanted to go, but it was hard. Really hard. I wasn’t born
for a normal work-life. Maybe it’s because my dad always worked at home as an
artist? I saw another way along time ago.
So thank you Steve for being a magical dad. Thank you also for teaching
me that true
love means to serve. I know it’s not always easy, but the time you are
investing in our little loves will set them up to be the
great men we want them to be in the world. It’ll be all down to you. That’s
the magic of a great dad.
I am always thankful for the dad I had growing up, and now I’m thankful
for the dad you are for Lex and Jax. They are lucky buggers and we all love
you.
So who reckons they’ve got a better dad?
Yours without the bollocks
Andrea
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