I Love Being Dad...

So I was watching a new show called Parenthood earlier today. More like glancing at it here and there and listening to it as I was working on an issue here at work. One of the characters on it is a dad to a five year old kid but didn't know it until recently. It has been fun to watch the interactions that have taken place as he has come to grips with being the dad of this 5 year old kid. The episode that I watched today he got the results of the paternity test and **spoiler alert** he is the father. He decides to tell his parents and then introduce him to their new grandchild. The writers and such on the show have done a great job in growing this character into a dad for this kid. They have shown the interactions well and at the end of this episode he pushes his son on a bike and watches him ride away on the bike with a huge smile on his face.

As I was watching this I thought of my own life and how my dad was in and out of my life. Some by his choice and sadly some by mine. My dad was a great example to me both for good and bad. He was a rock and I had the impression that nothing could hurt my dad. When he broke his ankle while climbing out of a jeep that he rolled and had a cast on, he would still take us to the pool and watch us splash around at his condo. I have fond memories, some of the few that I have for some reason, of me and my dad throwing the football around when I was in high school and was thinking for a split moment that I'd try and play football. My fondest and earliest memory of my dad after my parents divorced was one of hurt as he walked away from our house after being sent away by the a-hole of a step-dad I had at the time. My dad was always a lot of fun to be around and would only get better at pool the drunker he got which I hated. He was a great dad and I miss him.

Well now I get to be dad to four kids that are both a pain and a joy to live with. The dress-up shoes on the hard floors drive me absolutely insane. My kids are growing up so fast. My oldest is 10 and thankfully not one of those that are going on to 18 types. She takes things as they come and wants to be older but doesn't at the same time. I just think she wants to be older so she can have a cell phone. My son just turned 8 and gets to do all the 8 year old stuff now, scouts, baptism, etc. He can be the most selfless person I know but can also be very selfish. He's my favorite son! My third is 6 and she can be a sweet princess. She have very selective listening but seems to hear dad more than mom. She is learning to read and is doing an awesome job. And my youngest, soon to be 4, is a pest, but a cute pest. She is the best hugger this world has to offer and her little dimple when she smiles is awesome!! The best part of these four is when I get home they all have to come say hi and give me a big hug. That is usually when the 4 year old sticks to me and is hardly 3 feet from me. That will end soon so I should enjoy it while it lasts. I wouldn't trade my 4 kids for anything.

My kids all have their little quirks but they all love me as dad. Last night was an awesome moment for me as we got done reading I had two of them on my lap, #3 and #4. They were both in between sleep and awake state and just were little lumps, rather than the fidgety kids they can be. Today I get to go spend the afternoon with them as they are off track and I am pretty excited. I can't think of anything better than an afternoon with the family hanging out downtown and having a great time. Like I said as the title of this post 'I Love Being Dad'