Celebrating Father's Day

When you were growing up, who was the first parent you would tell about something being wrong? With myself, it was my dad. I have been close to my dad because he took care of the three of us while our mother worked as the breadwinner. He was Mr. Mom. My parents had to switch roles while my sister, brother, and I were growing up together. The times with my dad were both good and bad. More of them were good. I just feel that I was lucky to have him growing up. That is why I am sharing some memories of my father for this Father's Day.

For a father, it is not an easy role to take on as a Mr. Mom. He has to see his wife leave everyday for work while he stays home with the kids. My father had a lot to do each day- laundry, cleaning, getting us ready for school, making three meals a day, and making sure we taken care of while my mom was at work. My mother was always around at dinner, but for the rest of the day, my dad was the main parent at home. My siblings and I got to know our dad and he took on a responsibility that was not an easy thing.

One of the greatest things, my dad was able to do, was cook homemade dinners and any other meal that was needed. My dad learned how to cook in the military during Vietnam. He was stationed in Germany and given the job of feeding 500 soldiers a day. My father would talk about how he had to make the food for the 500 soldiers and he learned how to pretty quickly. My dad was drafted in 1966 and served until 1968. He spent two years cooking for the military in Germany. I have seen photographs of him when he was in the Army. He brought his skills back home and later cooked for our family. It is nice when your father is a great cook!

Another great memory, I have with my dad, he would take us to our sporting events and cheer us on during the event. Soccer, basketball, baseball, track, cross country, swimming, tennis lessons, dance, and gymnastics. He really became involved with sports and was a soccer coach for my sister's team for a season. That is what our life was basically -sports. My siblings and I were in sports until we graduated from high school. My dad and mom had to work together in order for the games to happen for us on the weekends. It was great to have my dad's support. He may have been somewhat jealous that he was not playing the sport himself! Having support for your children and spouse, is very crucial in a family. Without the respect and support, it is hard to function as a normal family.

My father also taught me about hand tools and how to do home improvement around the house. When I was younger, my father would be at his tool bench and I would come over to see what he was doing or putting together. I would just sit and watch him use his tools- he would let me try it later on because I just had to ask him- " What is a chisel used for? How can hold the drill in place? What type of roller do you paint the ceiling with? My curiousity of hand tools and home improvement grew over the years and I gained knowledge just my asking my dad how it is done. I love home improvement and it is because I learned it from watching and asking my dad.

For my parents, traveling was a love of theirs and they took us to many different places- Florida, Rhode Island, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Arizona, Kentucky, and South Carolina. My dad did not mind driving on most of these trips, so we would travel in a car to Rhode Island as a 13 hour trip every summer. My dad would drive to Illinois for 5 hours for our trips to Chicago during Spring Break. My dad always wanted to drive because he was nervous when my mom would drive the station wagon or van. He felt safer in the driver seat than in the passenger seat. Driving was not the only thing my dad like to do- he also enjoyed the cars.

My dad loves cars and he always was interested in finding the different styles , past models, and possibly where a car show was being held. He use to watch fast cars and drag racing. My dad introduced my siblings and I to different cars he grew up with his family . His dad (my grandpa) was a car salesman and he pasted down that information from his dad (grandpa) to us. I have grown to love cars because my dad talked about them a lot to us when we were younger. My dad always had a great love of cars.

Mr. Mom will be the biggest memory I have of my father, but the other ones I spoke about, will remain in my thoughts of him as well. When you celebrate Father's Day this Sunday, take the time to remember with your dad. Look at old photos, talk about great times you had , spend some quality time, and make your dad feel important and appreciated for all the nice things he has done. I am very grateful that I have a father, I appreciated him more than he will ever realize, and my son enjoys his company as a grandfather. Happy Father's Day to all the dads who are celebrating this Sunday!