Mother’s Day is almost here, and soon, many daughters and sons will be dedicating an entire day to thanking their mothers for all they do. But unlike most, I don’t celebrate Mother’s Day with my my mom. No, I celebrate Mother’s Day with my dad.
When my mom left our family a couple years ago, my dad was left with the nearly impossible task of taking care of his three daughters while somehow paying the bills. He managed that job with ease and a sense of calmness many didn’t expect. The more challenging task for him was to become not just a great dad, but a great mom as well.
Every child deserves to have both a mother-figure and a father-figure in their lives to help teach them lessons and values that are diverse, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Some of us are left to make the best of what we have with just one parent. It became my dad’s job to be both a mom and a dad.
My sisters and I all needed someone who was the stereotypical mom. Telling us how proud they were, taking us to buy new clothes, and talking about relationships with. On the other hand, we all needed a stereotypical dad, telling us to brush ourselves off, keep our chin up, and to never give up. We needed someone who, when we were sad, could take care of us, put on our favorite movie, and sit there and let us be. We also needed someone who, when we were sad, would also tell us to get up, stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and keep moving forward.
What we all really needed was a Mr. Mom. Someone who could be both a motherly and fatherly figure. That’s just we got. It took some time for my dad to be able to read and gauge when we needed someone to sit with us and agree that the world sucks and when we needed someone to tell us to stop complaining and get over ourselves. Let me tell you, many times he was very off in reading what we needed at the time.
The first couple months after my mom left, we all had many arguments. It wasn't a pretty time. Many of the arguments that happened during that time were between my dad and I. When my mom left, I had a difficult time adjusting. Often I would just want to stay in bed and watch "Harry Potter" all day. My dad, on the other hand, tried to get me to get up and live a little. In short, we disagreed a lot. Eventually we got along pretty well. Now even though your parent isn't your “friend” per say, I’d have to say that my dad is one kick-ass friend.
We both came to realize that we’re very similar people. My friends would tell me that they wished they had the same relationship with their dad as I did with my dad. I would chuckle knowing too well that my dad and I just a short time ago were not on good terms at all.
My dad helped me to pursue my dreams of running track in college. He was there for me when I was down. He encouraged me to live my dreams no matter how big. He helped me pick out my prom dress. He helped me buy new clothes for the school year, and he helped me with dorm room shopping. He successfully became a Mr. Mom.
A couple years down the road, and I am now so thankful for everything my dad has done for me. Like most parents, he doesn't accept any of my thank you's. He just says something like, “It’s just my job.” My response? “You didn’t have to do it so well.”
On that note, I hope all the moms and Mr. Moms out there have a wonderful Mother’s Day. You earned it.
