Laura Ingalls🤗

Hmm never thought of that

CyrusHensley, your comment brought a curious reflection to me.

I never knew my father. I was 5 months old when my mother left with my older sister and I and we moved in with my grandparents. We lived there until I was eight when my mother remarried. So, I never knew my father. Though I did have a grandfather and stepdad my entire life. And they were good people.

I once asked one of my sons what they remember about growing up. He replied, “You were never there.” There is truth in that. I was deep in my career working long hours. And I was a single custodial dad who actually was pretty clueless about being a parent. No way did my sons ever get the attention they needed or deserved.

Yet I can vividly remember times I stood in the kitchen watching my boys and feeling proud because *** I was there ***. I was home every night. I provided everything they needed. And, I was there for them to talk to, just that none of us knew anything about how to do so.

But I was there. Home. Every fucking night. And I was proud of that. Still my sons remember that I was never there. We each have our own experience/perspective. So I am learning to never blame anyone, you don’t know their story. I’m just now thinking, I’ve never known my father’s story.

I've long thought of my parents as Ozzie and Harriet... parenting decisions were discussed/decided out of hearing of the children, and family life was all orderly and calm.

I've since realized that I never learned how to fight, which was a significant deficiency when I got married (my wife's only form of communication was to fight).

@ Cyrus, any tv dad come to mind?