Fathers
Out of context: Reply #15
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- blaw0
My old man jokingly refers to his upbringing as being "raised by wolves". Basically, it was a broken family where he was left to fend for himself and look after my aunt.
He started working at a young age: deliverying newspapers, setting up pins for sets at the local bowling alley, washing dishes at a diner (which is still in operation, only a couple of blocks from where I work), etc.
A tough-ass kid growing up in a small coal mining town, he had no problem using his fists as a means to come to a quick end of a situation. In his mid-teens, he dropped out of high school, lied about his age and joined the Army.
After leaving the service he got a job working in the steel mill, met a cute nursing student that became his wife/my mom, had three kids, got laid off after thirteen years of working at the mill, worked as a paramedic, and eventually started his own insurance business where he still works today.
Growing up we knew him as a tough son of a bitch, but also someone to look up to. He taught us how to build things, how to fix things, how to throw a ball (and a punch), how to be a gentleman, and so much more.
There was never a time that he was too busy for his kids. I didn't really get how hard that is to do until I became a dad. Playing baseball in the yard for an hour makes my son's entire day and we have a blast together. But running a business, managing a household, and all those other things in a typical life make that hour hard to come by. Hats off to the old man for showing me how it's done and that it's not negotiable.
These days he's a mellow older fellow, with gray hair and a pile of stories (I've been begging him to write a memoire, which he says he plans to do). He works on his house with my mom, plays with his dog, brags about his grandchildren and loves to drink wine.
Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thanks for setting the bar high.