(Grand)Father's Day


Ok, time to get a bit mushy.

Not much has changed with Paige recently so there hasn’t been much to write about. As a result I have been doing a little thinking (ok, I think all the time) about what raising Paige has actually meant to me so far. Several people have told me it’s a great thing that Jodi and I are doing by raising Paige and I usually don’t have much of a response. It feels like I’m patting myself on the back if I say ‘Thank you’ or agree with them and that makes me uncomfortable. I’m just doing what needs to be done.

However, I do think it is affecting me more than I expected.

Yes, I’m tired because I’m just not that young anymore and keeping up with a 2 year-old can be tough.

Yes, I get frustrated with the 2 year-old attitude and have to remind myself that she’s ‘only 2’.

But the impact hasn’t been as negative as those last two statements make it sound. To be honest, raising Paige is pushing me to want to be better. I don’t know if I did a very good ‘dad’ job raising my daughters and I guess with Father’s Day coming up I’ve been reflecting on that more and more.

Did I do everything I could have to prepare my daughters for life outside of our home? I don’t think so.

Did I teach them how a man should treat a woman so they don’t settle for anything less than they deserve? I don’t think so.

Did I know what I was doing back then or how to accomplish those previous two statements? No.

Do I know what I’m doing now? Not really, but I want to do better this time. That’s not to say that my daughters aren’t great. I love them both for who they are and will always try to support them, but I may have failed them just a little bit and the world isn’t getting any easier so I need to do better with Paige.

I know Jodi will be the stronger influence as she has learned a great deal through her work and let’s face it, she’s stronger than me. I just want to make sure I’m doing what a Father/Grandfather should. So I’ve lost weight and kept it off. I’m working out. I’m taking risks at work and it’s paying off (literally and figuratively). I’ve even started thinking about learning to play the guitar and start singing again. I used to sing to my daughters every night when putting them to bed and that’s something I hope I can do again with Paige.

It seems like raising Paige is the lottery win I may have been hoping for – but I could still use the money too.

Enjoy (Grand)Father’s Day! I know I will.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sleepless: The Sequel

Was there ever a sequel to Sleepless in Seattle? I’m guessing everyone was just too tired to write one. I know the feeling. So I already did a post on being tired thanks to Paige waking up in the night but I noticed I didn’t go into a lot of detail on how that affects us. Us being me and my wife. Let’s be honest. Husbands and wives don’t always get along. Throw in a toddler when you’re both over 40 and include a restless night’s sleep and things can get worse. By worse I mean saying and doing things you don’t really intend to simply because you’re tired or in a zombie-like trance and don’t really realize it. As a husband I have found that these are the times when you need to apologize, even if an apology isn’t necessarily needed. After all, we’re both in the same boat. Paige doesn’t wake up every night on purpose just to interrupt our sleep so it’s not really her fault we’re tired. We don’t get upset with her for waking up but we certainly get upset with each other over...
Read more

That's the Power of...

Ok. People who know me know that I’m a bit of a technology geek. Maybe that’s an understatement. Anyway, yesterday we took Paige in to get another haircut. For her previous two she would sit on my lap and somewhat patiently wait while her hairdresser cut her hair. It would start out ok and then we would have to give her an iPhone to watch some videos. God bless technology. Yesterday was the first time she sat by herself. I gave her my iPhone so she could watch YouTube for Kids and she was such a good girl. Brittany did a great job patiently cutting her hair and Paige didn’t seem to even notice. As usual Paige charmed pretty much everyone that took the time to speak to her. She’s putting words together quite often now and of course is extremely polite by always saying goodbye (with waves). When another hairdresser said she liked Paige’s rubber boots Paige actually took one off to give to her. Thankfully it didn’t fit so she got it back. Raising Paige has certainly re...
Read more

Summer Fun

Image
Well it looks and feels like summer in Alberta is coming to an end. Paige certainly made this summer a little more exciting and a lot more fun at times. Being dragged around by a 2 year-old can certainly be tiring but it can also bring some laughter and joy. For example, we were lucky enough to spend 2 days at Crimson Lake at a friend’s cabin. We took Paige on a walk and managed to snap some pretty funny (and cute) pictures. Some of my favorites:   Hiding Peek-a-boo! Should I jump? Grandma & Paige Safety (and Cute) First! I find myself getting caught up in my own struggles. Raising Paige is tiring and certainly not something I expected to be doing starting in my mid-40’s but the adventure is something I remind myself to enjoy; Even during the Terrible Two’s. LOL. Paige is talking more and more every day and sometimes I’m caught off guard by what she sees and says. I hope she never loses that sense of fun and amazement with life.
Read more