Greatest Father's Day Moments - a Tribute to My Husband
Posted: Friday, June 19, 2009
by Teresa Ortiz
Freelance writer/Speaker
My husband and I married young; too young – just two days after my 18th birthday. Our first child followed within three years and there was no way I was going to be able to stay home with her. My husband immediately stepped up and helped with the "wake up every two-to-three hour" thing and I knew then, he was going to be a great dad. I was also blessed in that he was not afraid to have Britt home all alone while I went shopping. Best of all, he never used the phrase, "Do I have to babysit" when referring to being home alone with his baby.
I am not sure if this was because I bashed on men who did this, or if in his heart, he was excited for his daddy time without mom interfering and telling him how to do every little thing – well, I am sure, he loved his time alone with her. In fact, many times he would ask me if I would go to the store and buy him a candy bar just to get me out of the house.
Two years after our daughter was born, our son came along and once again he proved to be in love with his fatherhood. We shared the sad responsibilities of getting our children to day care and took turns staying home with them when they were sick. It was tough missing their daily routine, but we spent every other moment with them and made sure our weekends were reserved for family time.
When our children were six and four, I was blessed to work for a company that gave me the freedom to set my own hours. Since my husband specialized in residential construction, he could not start his day too early, so I opted for the 5:00am to 1:00pm shift at work, making the day at daycare shorter for the kids, and eventually allowing me to be home before their school day ended.
This meant my husband had the morning shift with the kids. He was responsible for making sure they ate breakfast and he had to help them dress for the day. When they started school, he either gave them a ride, or made sure they were at the bus stop on time. They would sit in his truck telling stories and laughing until the bus came. He did this everyday all the way through high school. In fact, my husband was crushed the day our daughter got her driver's license. Fortunately, for him, our son did not get his driver's license until the latter part of his senior year, giving my husband the pleasure of driving him to the bus stop.
There were many interesting moments along the way for the three of them. Obviously, there is not enough space for me to list them all, but I share a few that come to mind which show that my husband truly deserves all the accolades of Father of every year.
~~~
"Sharon, why is Britt still in her pajamas, it's 1:30 in the afternoon", I asked.
"Teresa, I didn't have the heart to ask Art about her clothes for the day, this is what she was wearing when he dropped her off and he didn't bring a change of clothes."
The interesting thing was these pajamas were not the one's she slept in the night before. Ever so gently, I asked, "Honey, did you have a problem finding Britt's clothes this morning?" He gave me one of those looks that said, "Are you trying to tell me how to dress my daughter?" He promptly defended himself by saying he thought she looked cute in the purple care bear outfit.
"Honey, that is a pajama outfit." Oh well, what are you gonna do? At least she looked cute and by the time she was seven, he was an amazing hair stylist. In fact, so good, she always requested that daddy brush her hair because he didn't hurt her the way I did. (What's with that!)
Then there was the time when I picked Britt and J up from day care only to find Britt in tight jeans that looked more like long shorts and J was wearing jeans that were hanging off his bum and the legs at least 6 inches too long.
"Sharon, what's with the clothes?" Okay, so maybe he got the pants mixed up, but seriously, this one I have to blame on Sharon, because she should have had the kid's exchange pants. "But we don't want to offend parents", she says. "Understood", I say.
Art confessed that Britt did try to tell him, but everyone knows, "Father knows best"….
From ages 10/8 through 13/11, we lived on lakeside property. We purchased an old boat for $800 bucks. With a little TLC, Art had it running and everyday after work, he was on the boat with the kids. (They invited me -- sometimes.) We didn't have much money, so we literally used penny rolls to make sure we had enough gas money for the boat to "set out at sea" and make it back to the docks. He was so creative that the kids never realized the real reason they were "stranded at sea", was because there was only a few dollars worth of gas in the boat.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that many times after midnight, he would sneak out of bed, wake up the kids, and take them for a late night (or early morning) run on the boat. He saw no need to invite me along. (What's with that!)
As the kids approached the teen years, everyone warned us that our days with our kids were numbered. "Soon they won't want to be seen with you", they would say. We were crushed, but not defeated – we prayed faithfully that no matter what, we would remain close with our kids.
Thanks to the silly wiles of their daddy (and the grace of God) this day never came. There was never a day that passed when they didn't ask "what time is dad going to be home"? J always waited outside for him. He always wanted to be the first one to greet his daddy at the end of the day.
At 18 years old, he still does this when he can.
The greatest thing about my husband is that when we were having our hard times, he remained faithful and never failed to make them laugh. When he would lose his temper, he would apologize and tell them that dad's make mistakes too.
A few years ago, we talked with the kids about our time on the lake – they were shocked to find out how little money we had. Britt confessed she was a brat at school – always bragging about how much money her family had because we lived on the lake and had a boat that her dad took her and her brother out on everyday.
Oh My! Nevertheless, I count this as a tribute to the creativity of their father. My kids have learned a most valuable lesson; It doesn't take money to be a good daddy, it takes heart. Something I know he has passed on to J, and something I know Britt will watch for in her future husband.
Now if I can only convince my husband that his son is truly stronger than he is, and he is not letting J win when they arm wrestle, my job as a mom and wife will be complete.
To my husband - thank you for breaking the mold, you have proven that it doesn't take having a good father to become one.
Happy Father's Day to all of you daddy's out there!
Two years after our daughter was born, our son came along and once again he proved to be in love with his fatherhood. We shared the sad responsibilities of getting our children to day care and took turns staying home with them when they were sick. It was tough missing their daily routine, but we spent every other moment with them and made sure our weekends were reserved for family time.
When our children were six and four, I was blessed to work for a company that gave me the freedom to set my own hours. Since my husband specialized in residential construction, he could not start his day too early, so I opted for the 5:00am to 1:00pm shift at work, making the day at daycare shorter for the kids, and eventually allowing me to be home before their school day ended.
This meant my husband had the morning shift with the kids. He was responsible for making sure they ate breakfast and he had to help them dress for the day. When they started school, he either gave them a ride, or made sure they were at the bus stop on time. They would sit in his truck telling stories and laughing until the bus came. He did this everyday all the way through high school. In fact, my husband was crushed the day our daughter got her driver's license. Fortunately, for him, our son did not get his driver's license until the latter part of his senior year, giving my husband the pleasure of driving him to the bus stop.
There were many interesting moments along the way for the three of them. Obviously, there is not enough space for me to list them all, but I share a few that come to mind which show that my husband truly deserves all the accolades of Father of every year.
~~~
"Sharon, why is Britt still in her pajamas, it's 1:30 in the afternoon", I asked.
"Teresa, I didn't have the heart to ask Art about her clothes for the day, this is what she was wearing when he dropped her off and he didn't bring a change of clothes."
The interesting thing was these pajamas were not the one's she slept in the night before. Ever so gently, I asked, "Honey, did you have a problem finding Britt's clothes this morning?" He gave me one of those looks that said, "Are you trying to tell me how to dress my daughter?" He promptly defended himself by saying he thought she looked cute in the purple care bear outfit.
"Honey, that is a pajama outfit." Oh well, what are you gonna do? At least she looked cute and by the time she was seven, he was an amazing hair stylist. In fact, so good, she always requested that daddy brush her hair because he didn't hurt her the way I did. (What's with that!)
Then there was the time when I picked Britt and J up from day care only to find Britt in tight jeans that looked more like long shorts and J was wearing jeans that were hanging off his bum and the legs at least 6 inches too long.
"Sharon, what's with the clothes?" Okay, so maybe he got the pants mixed up, but seriously, this one I have to blame on Sharon, because she should have had the kid's exchange pants. "But we don't want to offend parents", she says. "Understood", I say.
Art confessed that Britt did try to tell him, but everyone knows, "Father knows best"….
From ages 10/8 through 13/11, we lived on lakeside property. We purchased an old boat for $800 bucks. With a little TLC, Art had it running and everyday after work, he was on the boat with the kids. (They invited me -- sometimes.) We didn't have much money, so we literally used penny rolls to make sure we had enough gas money for the boat to "set out at sea" and make it back to the docks. He was so creative that the kids never realized the real reason they were "stranded at sea", was because there was only a few dollars worth of gas in the boat.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that many times after midnight, he would sneak out of bed, wake up the kids, and take them for a late night (or early morning) run on the boat. He saw no need to invite me along. (What's with that!)
As the kids approached the teen years, everyone warned us that our days with our kids were numbered. "Soon they won't want to be seen with you", they would say. We were crushed, but not defeated – we prayed faithfully that no matter what, we would remain close with our kids.
Thanks to the silly wiles of their daddy (and the grace of God) this day never came. There was never a day that passed when they didn't ask "what time is dad going to be home"? J always waited outside for him. He always wanted to be the first one to greet his daddy at the end of the day.
At 18 years old, he still does this when he can.
The greatest thing about my husband is that when we were having our hard times, he remained faithful and never failed to make them laugh. When he would lose his temper, he would apologize and tell them that dad's make mistakes too.
A few years ago, we talked with the kids about our time on the lake – they were shocked to find out how little money we had. Britt confessed she was a brat at school – always bragging about how much money her family had because we lived on the lake and had a boat that her dad took her and her brother out on everyday.
Oh My! Nevertheless, I count this as a tribute to the creativity of their father. My kids have learned a most valuable lesson; It doesn't take money to be a good daddy, it takes heart. Something I know he has passed on to J, and something I know Britt will watch for in her future husband.
Now if I can only convince my husband that his son is truly stronger than he is, and he is not letting J win when they arm wrestle, my job as a mom and wife will be complete.
To my husband - thank you for breaking the mold, you have proven that it doesn't take having a good father to become one.
Happy Father's Day to all of you daddy's out there!
This Article has been viewed 3,028 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
More commentsHi Teresa.Art is a great man, not just a great father!Thanks for sharing him with us.Hugs,DianneHi Dianne,Thank you for reading and caring. Art is a great man -- to think, I almost let him get away when things were rough for us, thank God I didn't.You too are blessed with a great man! Hugs back, Teresa
Hi Teresa,Your article made me wonder what having a dad would be like. Hopefully and prayerfully I will find out. I am happy that you have a wonderful husband and your children a wonderful dad. However, your job as a Mom will never be done until you meet Jesus. You still have to be grandma and no matter how old your children are, you will still be Mom. Wish Art a Happy Father's Day for me.Love, hugs and blessings,MichelleHi Michelle, honestly, this article made me wonder what having a dad in my life would be like too. Not being close to my real dad until the last 6 or 9 years, and my wonderful step dad whom I call daddy Jim, was in my life for a short 3 years when I was a young girl, and then came back into our lives 4 years ago - left us with mom playing both roles.I love you!
Teresa, great article and tribute to your man! You and your kids are blessed. Thanks for sharing your story...or I guess it was your kids' stories since they did it all without you! What's with that??? :-PYa, what's with that?!!! It's all good stuff :-)Thanks for the sweet comment! Like I told Dianne, I am grateful to God that we did not go our separate ways when everything and just about everybody was telling us that "God wants you to be happy" so move on. (There's an article for you!)Our lives would be different and we would have missed out on so much. Something that has been on my mind lately since I saw my mom and dad in the same room with each other for the first time since I was a teenager at J's graduation.Hugs!
My Choodesa,What a beautiful hubby you have. He's so caring and a great Dad for your children. I wish you much happiness, and wish Art a Happy Father's Day. to a great Son-in-law. You both have been very blessed!With much love mom & dad
Great stuff here, Sis.But..How did Britt become a Lakers fan? WHAT"S WITH THAT?!?!?!j/k!!ha! You are too funny bro!She became a laker fan when she got into basketball in the forth grade. She has her favorite players on just about every team on the nba and watches every game she can, but somehow, she fell in love with the Lakers - way back (for her) when Rick Fox and some others (what do I know) played for them. And of course, she was in love with Kobe since his first season with the team.That's what's up with that!!
Great article. Well done.Married at 18 - wow. You will hopefully celebrate your Golden anaversanry when you are only in your 60's.Hi Connor, thanks so much! As long as both of us are still breathing, we will be celebrating anniversies. It will be 24 years in October and I will only be 42! Now this is the upside of getting married young. Kids are grown and I am not too old :-)I do have to admit, I skipped a year somehow and thought it was going to be 25 years. I had everyone confused. there for a few months :-)Blessings to you! Teresa
Hi Teresa.Thanks for sharing...that's beautiful. Your article reminded me of one of my greatest moments with my dad. My father's employer was a chinese businessman in my hometown. Every other week, my dad receives two movie tickets from him. There were eight of us but he knew, i was the one who appreciated the fact that "we were going to the movies!" but we have to get out of the house via the back door so that no one would see us or the entire gang will go with us and my father did not have enough money to buy the movie tickets. Teresa, thanks again for sharing your life and your husband and your children with us, your avid fans, your friends.God bless and many more blessings.Sincerely,NenitaHi Nenita, what a beautiful memory of your time with your father. You are blessed :-)Big hugs,Teresa
Teresa,Not only are your children lucky to have such a wonderful Dad and you lucky to have married a great guy...I'd say he's pretty lucky to have the love of his family that he obviously does.I loved the story!Thanks,MarkThank you Mark, I appreciate it. I do hope it encourages other dad's out there not to think they can't be a good dad because they do not make a ton of money.Blessings to you! Teresa
Hi Teresa, I enjoyed your article and it is a great tribute to your hubby. I tried to reply to you on my article about peace and joy but it didn't go through. I will be back on search warp as soon as I can. I miss having the time to read all your wonderful articles and miss your encouragement. God Bless You,Linda DHi Linda, thanks for taking a moment to say hi, I know things are crazy for you right now, I am praying all comes together smoothly for you :-) Love, Teresa
Teresa, it's a good thing you've had Art all these years! I don't know how you would have survived without him! Seriously, your article is a great tribute!Hi Rob, thanks! I would not have been able to do anything! Aside from my Lord, Art is my rock and source of confidence. My house would be a boring place without him.I am sure Laura feels the same about you! I hear the stories :-)
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