Happy Father’s Day 2022

[sourland]

@sourland How about an 'after action' report from the ballgame?

Absolute mob scene on arrival. Apparently Father's day weekend, superhero day, and fireworks made for a massive turnout. We got there ostensibly an hour early and ended up parking out in a cowfield. Texted SIL - "Oh yeah, game is at 6 not 6:30, I'll text you the tickets." Tecnoilliterate us managed to get into the stadium. Daughter showed up and took my food order - hotdogs, French fries and sweet tea. Twenty minutes later she and the Princess show up with make believe pizza on some type of bread. Apparently stadium is grossly understaffed (true of most enterprises around here) and wait lines for hotdogs were 45 minutes. Seriously ? Somewhere around the bottom of the eighth inning daughter reappeared with my hotdogs and French fries - still no sweet tea. All was good we bailed after the game was over. Didn't need to see the fireworks.

They may be 'MY' bunch, but they sure are noisy. Glad that I didn't wear my hearing aids.

 

[Hayden Goseek]

I was thinking about my daughter today. I never had any kids and when DW asked if I actually wanted to I had to think about it. We were in our '40s and out of other relationships so I gave it some thought. The next day I replied 'No. I feel like I've come this far and I want a new start. Lets work, play and live our lives to the fullest. Come and go as we please. Well as the Jewish say, "Man plans, God laughs." Or as I say "I thought the place was child proofed and one got in anyway."
Not in the typical way though. I'll spare the details but SS was splitting up after a year and our granddaughter was going into a HORRIBLE, UNTENDABLE situation with the 'mom'.
DD and I discussed it but in the end, it wasn't a decision but a choice that kinda made itself. I was responsible for that kid and that was that. We wound up with custody and later adopted her. It was the best decision I ever made.
She was (is) a Great happy kid. I promised myself to make her my "Warrior Princess. Teach her everything we could. She actually turned 4yo at a Tea Room in Manhattan and 5yo on a deer stand in Mississippi. By 8yo she had caught our dinner herself fishing in the Atchafalaya Basin, starting and driving the outboard, and running trot lines with me. She excelled in school, got great schlorships and decided it wasn't time for that yet. She is making her own way and I am just as proud of that. She is smart, she will figure it out. And so will I.

 

[sourland]

I was thinking about my daughter today. She is making her own way and I am just as proud of that. She is smart, she will figure it out. And so will I.

My daughter once asked, "We always knew that we were expected to go to college. What would you have done if we were not 'college material'?" I replied, "I would have found that thing you loved most and helped you further yourself in that. I never wanted either of you dependent upon another person." Upon occasion I have been accused of not 'directing' my kids enough. I once questioned them about that. Both responded that they knew I was there for advice/support if they needed it.

There are no solid rules in parenting. We just do our best.