Fathers & Sons, Vol. III

We ate breakfast this morning at a local deli/diner with my brother- and father-in-law. In between mouthfuls of Mickey Mouse-shaped pancake, my just-shy-of-three-year-old said, “Daddy, I want to tell you a secret.” I obliged by leaning in close, and I heard his breath quicken slightly as he whispered:

“I love you the bestest ever.”

Can you believe there was a time I thought fatherhood wasn’t for me?

Talk about going out on a high note, 2007.  Happy New Year, everybody.

4 Comments

  • Beautiful moment, Damian, I can relate. Parenting is a beautiful thing, and while I sit here holding my kids on New Year’s eve … I know there is no place that I’d rather be.

  • Thanks, Alec. It’s strange how parenthood changes one. It’s not something I’ve ever been able to articulate to non-parents, except thru anecdotes such as this.

    Hope your little guy is on the mend – I wish him a speedy recovery.

  • Damian,

    When my son switched from private school to public school, he had his first encounter with a child whose parents were going through a divorce.

    He told me, very seriously, that “Dad would give me good protection, but I couldn’t live without you, Mom.”

    My husband and I have been married for almost 35 years, so he never had to go through that trauma.

    But I still remember his sweet and solemn statement these many years later.

    diane

  • @diane That’s heartbreakingly touching; thank you for sharing. Amazing how these things – nothing more than kids’ earnest emotional expressions – stick with us for so long.

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