For the past several weeks, I’ve had to endure being exposed to a whole lot of Father’s Day – related posts. There are so many Father’s Day sale announcements in my email, on Facebook and Twitter. They’re on billboards and posters outside. Sentimental Father’s Day quotes are everywhere on social media too. As a Social Media Manager, I too had to research and post a number of quotes, images and articles related to Father’s Day and it was anything but easy for me. It was excruciatingly painful.
You see, I don’t exactly have a good relationship with my Dad right now. In fact, I haven’t spoken or seen him in three years for reasons that are too personal to share on this blog. It is because of this that I haven’t really celebrated Father’s Day with him for years now. This is also why Father’s Day usually brings me so much pain.
So, I’m grateful that I found another reason to celebrate Father’s Day. Even if I can no longer celebrate it with my own Dad, at least now I can celebrate it with my hubby. He has brought new meaning to Father’s Day for me. Kai became Zoe and Ziya’s second dad the minute he decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.
He welcomed my girls into his life with much uncertainty, only because he had never really been a father before and didn’t know what his role as their stepdad would entail. But even though he was uncertain at first, he loved them and cared for them like his own flesh and blood. He would sacrifice sleep just to accompany me to their school events. He’d spend for their stuff first before thinking of buying something for himself. He teaches them useful things so that they’d grow up knowing how to take care of themselves. He always thinks of them whenever he plans for our future. For this, I will always be grateful.
His role as a Dad became even more pronounced once we had Ziggy. Although I knew he wanted us to have a daughter, things changed once he first laid eyes on Ziggy. I know not having a daughter didn’t disappoint him at all. Ziggy’s coming into our lives gave me the opportunity to see a whole new side of Kai that I’ve never seen before. He’s a hands-on, doting dad. He changes Ziggy’s diapers and gives him a bath. He calms Ziggy down and puts him to bed. He plays with him and let’s him discover the world. He tickles Ziggy, laughs with him, teaches him about cars and trucks and a whole lot of other cool stuff that I can’t teach. And I can see the love in his eyes. I know there is nothing he won’t do for Ziggy.
With Kai, I see that he’s the kind of father I never had. And while this makes me feel a bit sad for myself, I am also happy that my kids have been blessed with him. That makes me truly blessed too. I can’t ask for anything more.
Happy Father’s Day, Kai!
