My Job As A Father, Mission Completed.

I was at a wedding last night and talking with other men we compared stories about our now adult children growing up in the house.  Almost all of us experienced similar emotions and stories about our children. This post is about my children growing up and me as a father.

Pre School:
Coming home from a long day at work I was usually greeted by an excited child at the door who wanted to hug me and be picked up and loved since they missed you.  I was their best friend and play date.  Roughhousing was an everyday activity and my children learned sports and physical skills by their interaction with their father.  

Elementary School:
I became a real male role model.  My children learned right from wrong, experiencing the trials and tribulations of growing up in the world,  interaction between husband and wife which help develop the child's social skills when working with others, especially the opposite sex.  At this age, the child would usually greet me with a hello and an occasional complaint about mom that only dad can smooth over.

Middle School:
While I was still a role model, my children no longer greeted me at the door or even say hello but still looked up to me for guidance, problem solving, and to act as an occasional counter weight against problems with mom.  This is the time when dad becomes important for what he can do, like driving the middle school child to a friend's house, the mall, or to be dropped off or picked up at the movies or concerts. Free chauffeur service, that's dad..

High School:
I come home from work and only the dog greets me at the door.  What I usually hear are the bedroom doors slamming shut and I'm lucky to see them at the dinner table.  Of course, once they learn to drive, they will ask nicely about using the car and nag you until you get them a car for themselves.  Moreover, as they approach college age they soon realize how important the father is since I will be paying for most of the college  by taking out a parent loan and driving to various colleges with my child to check out the school.

College Age:
I'm practically irrelevant, except when the child needs the car or some spending money.  Yet I have done my job as a male role model and father.  I was always there to protect, support, and .guide my children from pre school to college and they knew that.  Was I perfect?  Far from it but I was always there to help my children with the many issues that affected their lives..

Now as a grandfather, I can only smile because I have seen my three grown children become successful adults with good jobs and in the case of the two older children , a family of their own.  I have done my job as a father and look forward to spoil my grandchildren as I watch my own children become even better parents then I and my wife was to them.  By the way.  If not for my wife who mothered our children and made them the nurturing compassionate adults they are today, I could not have come close to being the father that I am today.