Bein' Daddy

I’ve always attempted to make birthdays and Christmas as spectacular for my kids as I possibly can. I listen to others tell me how they set a limit on what they will spend on their kid’s Christmas as I think to myself that I should be more fiscally responsible as well. Even though I could probably teach a class telling you how to use your money wisely, I’d still be broke. Making them happy is the greatest gift that I can receive.

I bought my youngest daughter, Serina, a Yorkie for Christmas this past year. We bought the pup a few weeks before Thanksgiving because she had been begging for it. I explained to her that if she got the dog now, she probably wouldn’t have anything under the tree at Christmas. I must admit, I really liked that puppy. Imagine how angry I was about a month later when I received a call at work informing me that he had been run over.

Serina did not complain as I continued to let her believe that she would not have anything under the tree although the dog had died. When she returned home from her Mom’s house on Christmas Eve, I let her open “a family gift”. She was puzzled when she discovered that there was nothing in the box she had just opened. Shortly thereafter, I entered the living room with a six week old Yorkie puppy, Alex. The look of surprise on her face and subsequent tears of joy created memories for a lifetime. Of course, she did receive more presents the next day as well. Needless to say, we are much more careful with Alex. Between the two pups, I spent over $1,000 counting vaccinations.

I wanted to do something special this year for my oldest daughter, Brittany, on her birthday. I decided to make a slideshow chronicling her adolescence. After finishing it up, I cannot watch it without my eyes watering. I will only admit this in my blogs that no one reads, of course. With three women in the house, I have to maintain my strong masculine image.

The day Brittany was born was one of the greatest days of my life. For some reason, I always knew that I would have a little girl. Now I have three, but that’s beside the point. I spent all of my available time with my daughters as they were infants and toddlers. I could hear their mother tell them not to wake daddy up as she got home from work because I had worked third shift and needed to sleep. There was no stopping them. They would rush into my bedroom and shout “Daddy!” In reality, I was already awake waiting for them to run in there. I turned down several promotions and job offers because I would have to work second shift. There was no way that I was going to miss spending any time with my kids.

I’ll never forget the first time I dropped Brittany off at her Kindergarten class. She absolutely would not leave my side. To reassure her that I would always be there, I gave her my license so she would have a picture of me to look at any time she wanted. This calmed her down and she went to class cheerfully. That’s love there. She’s probably the only person that’s looked at my driver’s license photo without laughing or making a funny face.

As she grew up, I tried to instill in her the values and morals that will help her become the best person that she could possibly be. In a sense, I’ve made her like me without the imperfections. She has done well for herself and is on the road to success in every way.

I must admit that I am not one to let go. She has made the Dean’s list at UT Martin several times. She plans on attending pharmacy school after Martin which will require another two years of academia. Of course I am proud of her and push for her continued excellence, but I must admit that I have an ulterior motive. That’s another two years that she will be living at home.

Anyway, I plan on showing the video at her birthday party this summer. She has already given me a list of items she wants for her birthday. An LCD TV, another North Face jacket, a North Face backpack, Sperrys, money, and a speed flash for her camera are just a few items she has listed. She will not get all of those items. Daddy hasn’t won the lottery or passed the Bar exam. However, I will probably continue to spend money like MC Hammer to ensure that she has what she needs and most of what she wants. Being Daddy; that, my friends, is my calling.