As Robert Frost said, You don't have to deserve your mother's love, but you have to earn your father's. That's a harsh way of stating the difference. That view is as common as it is unfair.
Some men step up to that unconditional love, even when they still provide that discipline that children need. Nowhere do you see this more clearly than with Step Fathers who raise their step children as their own.
My Son-In-Law the Chief is one of these men. He loves his step kids like they were his own flesh and blood. Quite frankly, this made a big impression on me when I first met him. He's a good man. Yeah, there's a country music song for him, written by a Step Dad.
He ain't got my smile, that don't bother me a bit
He's got somebody else's eyes I'm seeing myself in
I'm holding on to every moment, God knows I've missed a few
The day we met I knew I had some catching up to do
He ain't my blood, ain't got my name
But if he did, I'd feel the same
I wasn't there for his first steps
But I ain't missed a ball game yet
And that ain't ever gonna change
I could never walk away
Yeah, he's my son and that's my choice
He ain't my blood but he's my, he's my boy
It hit me like a train, the first time he called me dad
In a three stick figure crayon picture with all of us holding hands
His mama said, "I understand if it's too soon for this"
I didn't let her finish, I took it to the kitchen and I stuck it on the fridge, yeah
He ain't my blood, ain't got my name
But if he did, I'd feel the same
I wasn't there for his first steps
But I ain't missed a ball game yet
And that ain't ever gonna change
I could never walk away
Yeah, he's my son and that's my choice
He ain't my blood but he's my, he's my boy
He's Saturday morning cartoons
He's "Hey, can I sleep in your room?"
He's bigger than the plans I had
He's making me a better man
He ain't my blood, ain't got my name
But if he did, I'd feel the same
I wasn't there for his first steps
But I ain't missed a ball game yet
And that ain't ever gonna change
I could never walk away
Yeah, he's my son and that's my choice
He ain't my blood but he's my, he's my boy
Yeah, he's my, he's my boy
3 comments:
Oh lord - even in better times, when we were better men... fatherhood was a damned tough row to hoe. Nowadays? Mainstreamed fifth wave feminism, homosexuality, 79 genders, spanking your kids is child abuse, self esteem is more important than education, everyone gets a trophy...
... and being a step dad ON TOP of all that?
Not to take anything away from your son in law, BP, but if that man can do his job as a father in this day and age? Yep, he is a helluva man, and he almost certainly has one hell of a woman at his side.
Happy father's day to you too, ya old fart! :)
Congrats to him! That is a hard road.
My daughter sent me this yesterday. Said "I'm not a boy, but it's still true". I showed up on the scene when she was 13. If there's one thing I managed to do right in this world, she's it.
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