Shout Out To All The Dads

Is it just me or does Father's Day sometimes seem to get overlooked?

That is a rhetorical question that I would love to hear from you about beloved reader. 

I'm not sure if it's because summer is in full swing, or just because in this world we live in there aren't as many of you out there that deserve a day to be recognized, (sad but true)  but whatever the reason if you are a dad who SHOWS UP and has continued to SHOW UP since the day your kid/kids were born then I applaud you. 

I see YOU! 

Here are the dad's in my life that I have come to know, appreciate, and applaud.

I'll start with my baby's daddy ;()

When I first met Moses, and before we even were married, or had children of our own I knew he would be a really good dad. 

I watched how he treated my youngest brother Jeremy who was only a little over 1 year old at the time.

He studied him, and observed some very interesting things that Im not sure anyone in our family had ever noticed before. 

When he spoke to me about these observations he said them with love and laughter and not irritation or confusion.

I then watched how he reacted when my other brother Greg borrowed his truck without permission and ruined the brand new bed of the truck by taking it out off- road, and neglected the fact that their was a whole engine in the back of his truck.

He was frustrated, confounded, and  livid...but he didn't overreact.

He simply went and got my young teenage brother Greg and had him fix the back of his truck.

He has always provided a way for our kids to make things right when they go wrong.

He was patient.

He was quiet.

And he was and still is a stellar example of what a good dad figure looks like. 

After we got married and the conversation of having children came up I was astounded that HE wanted children so soon, and even believe it or don't BEFORE I did.

In most relationships that I know of it's the woman who begs to have kids early on, and not the other way around.

I'm still not sure to this day, why he was so adamant about wanting kids so young, but I have appreciated his love and devotion to them ever since.

Many times I chuckle about the fact that people think because I'm the one with the degree in Early Childhood Ed, and the one that was primarily home with them, that it made me the better parent.

But it's kind of an inside joke between Mo and I that we know who is the better parent. 

For the most part of raising this big family of 4 kids I have been the one who had the honor of being home with them, but only because the jobs that I could find have paid me a lot less than what Moses could make. 

(Ahem.. that's a conversation for another day)

There have however been a few times in our family life when I was the one who went to work, and Moses stayed home... and those were the times when it was quite evident that had the tables been turned in our life of raising kids, he in FACT would have made the better parent to stay at home with them. 

I can't possibly put into words the appreciation and gratitude I have for this man I married 22 years ago. The way he parents our children makes me fall in love with him all over again.

There are not many men who can balance it all and be this amazing, but somehow he has found a way  and we are all the better for it. 

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Where did this Blue-eyed boy/dad/ wonder come from .... but from another blue eyed boy wonder named

affectionately known now as, Papa Russ.

My father-in-law or in -love as I like to call it, cause 

I'm not in-law... I'm in LOVE.

Raised as not only the oldest in the Scofield family, but THE ONLY BOY....Rusty you amaze me.

With three younger sisters is it any wonder he learned quick how to make his way in the garage fixing things?

My own brother Greg has adopted YOU as the mechanical genius of a dad that YOU are. 

I know he found in YOU a kindred spirit being the only brother of 3 sisters.

*And btw, he tells me to call you more often! (LOL)

I give you a shout out today, because honestly my husband who is the father of my children wouldn't be here without you.

The two of you started out together as just a couple of dudes, and all these years later I still love to see you two dudes together. 

I love hearing you talk of mechanical things that may as well be a foreign language to me. 

Pop you have saved us thousands of dollars over the years because you taught your son how to fix things. 

You taught him to "worry it out" and not give up.

You taught him what it looks like when your teen gets in trouble and you spend every last dime to get him out of it, and back on the straight and narrow. 

I'm thankful for you and today I recognize you for SHOWING UP!

You didn't turn your back on your wayward son in his teen years, and today on this day I appreciate YOU!

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And then there's my dad...

Oh How I LOVE this man!!

He has shown me what it looks like to be faithful and true to one woman and 5 kids for 47 years. 

He worked every day to provide for said 5 kids and then some more kids along the way that weren't even his own. 

There is not one other human on this planet that I admire more for being true to his family and loving them so well.

My dad was born into a family of ALL boys...

And somehow he managed to raise three daughters who all love and adore him. He instilled value and worth to us, and never, ever made us feel as though we couldn't conquer the world as women if we wanted to. It still amazes me that he never batted an eye when it was that "time of the month" and he would buy feminine products just like he was buying toilet paper! I mean that is a REAL MAN!! He has loved my mom with such devotion over the years and instilled a trust in her, my sisters, and myself , that not all men look the other way! He never left my moms side when the house was full and the chaos was more than any man could handle.  He may have retreated to his man cave there in the house, but he never headed down to the local bar for hours on end with God knows who.  He came home everyday after work, paid every bill on time, and bought flowers for my beloved Grandma the day before she died because the Bo Sox won the world series.  The love and devotion that he still has for my mom after all these years is precious to me.  To hear him talk about her with such love and appreciation for all the years they have been together, well ... it makes me weepy just thinking about it. He is one of my life's heroes because despite the fact that early on in life he suffered some serious tragedy he never let it slow him down.  He's brilliant, funny, and truly a devoted father.

Now that he's retired he calls weekly, sometimes daily (wink wink) to check in on his kids, and always lets us know what's happening, and who is going where, and reminds me to call my mom more often.  *(Apparently, I'm not good about picking up the phone once in a while and checking in) He doesn't wait for me to call him and check in, although he has mentioned a time or two that he would love it if I did.  He let's me know that HE KNOWS how busy life is for me right now, and HE picks up the phone to check in. I appreciate those phone calls more than he could ever know.
With both of these men in my life if I could use one word to describe them it would be; INTEGRITY.
definition- the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness:
They both have raised their families and taken the role of fatherhood with such integrity, and they deserve this day of recognition.
Happy Fathers Day Moses! Happy Fathers Day Papa Russ!
Happy Fathers Day Dad!
  And to all the Dad's who show up with integrity in their back pocket to every game, every band concert, every recital, every wedding of walking your daughter down the isle, every day to work  to provide for all the fun...
You are my life's heroes and I give this SHOUT OUT TO YOU!!
Thank you for making this world a better place.