Dreams of a Father

"Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours"  - Les Brown

I have to say, I live a pretty charmed life. I have a nice house, two kids, a great wife, and the best job a guy could ask for. If you asked me two years ago what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer would have been simple, exactly what I am doing now. How could any job compete with being a stay at home dad? I get to play with my kids while they still want to play with me, I get to teach them things while they still want to listen to me, and I get to be with them, while they still want me around. What could be better than that? My boys are getting older everyday though and I know that one day, my dream job will come to an end.

From first grade to college

I get sad sometimes thinking about the day my oldest son goes off to college. He's seven now, but I can't help but think of the day he is no longer living under my roof. How do you prepare yourself for a moment when you send your best friend on his way to chase his own dreams?  Seeing him everyday of his life, and in an instant he's not there anymore.  

Daily chats on the couch turn into phone calls, texts, and e-mails.  I know how it works though, all of those get less and less as he builds a life of his own.  Who am I going to cuddle at bedtime, play catch with in the yard, or push on the swings. One day you are holding their hand as they cross the street and the next you're walking through traffic all by yourself.

Life is really going to kick me in the ass hard that day.

He's getting stronger too

And what of my other son? I can see the innocence disappearing every day. Sure he still gets scared of bugs and spooky things will cause him to jump into my arms, but his fears are slowly starting fade into distant memories. The scared looks are becoming less and less. 

He's getting a whole lot smarter too. In the past week he has gone from counting to three, to counting to five. I know it's only a matter of time before he can count to a million. What used to be simple words have become whole sentences, even paragraphs sometimes. I hope some of that is because of the time I spend with him. He's getting bigger -- too big if you ask me.  Soon he's not going to need me to carry him everywhere, and I'll be left arms empty hoping just one more time he'll run into them.

My only dream is for them. I hope they get the same joy out of being a father that I have gotten from them.  It's really the only dream a father can have. I want them to call me in thirty years and tell me all about my grandkids and how awesome it is to spend time with them.  Everything else is gravy.  I want to see them succeed, but there is more to life than having shiny new cars and a house the size of the White House. I've realized something in the seven years I've been a dad; these kids really do grow up fast. Here one day, gone the next, off pursuing their own dreams, and what am I left with?

A lifetime of dreams fulfilled.
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This was my Blogger Idol entry for week six.  I was asked to write about what I wanted to do in life when I grew up.  It's hard to do that when all I ever wanted is what I have right now.  If you care to see what the judges had to day you can click right HERE.  But needless to say they were not happy I took this approach.  Obviously so weren't a lot of people as I was voted off the island, or out of the house, or however you want to say that I am no longer in the competition.

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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