Antonio is lucky. So very lucky.
I was telling Antonio today about how today, Sunday, is Papa's day and that we need to make sure Papa feels extra special. :) Also, how he (Antonio) needs to be thankful that he has a Papa. I told him that not every little boy and girl has a Papa they get to see and play with everyday. He said he was sad that they didn't. "Who did they play ball with?", he wondered. I told him that maybe their Mama did and he said, "No, only Papa's do that".
Ouch kid.
I understand, Albert is much better at playing ball with him than I am, so it's ok. :) Anyways, I told him he was lucky. As I was noticing that he was just not understanding why he should feel lucky I also realized that, that in itself, is lucky. For him to not realize how lucky he was to have a Papa is luck in itself. :) Most of my closest friends growing up had only one parent in their home, that they saw regularly. Whether it was because of divorce or death that was just how it was. Some of us were struggling to deal with that while others of us were used to it already (as much as possible) and realized that was just the way it was. Being around a family, a real family with a Mom and a Dad living in the same house was weird.
We always want our kids to have a better life than our own, not that ours was horrible, we just want better. For Albert and I, happily (or sadly depending on how you look at it) Antonio's is already better. He lives in a big house (big as in, bigger than both Albert and I grew up in), he has both his Mama and Papa living with him and he has toys, that even if they existed when we were kids, we would've never have had. And, when he sees people in a drive-through he assumes they are waiting in line to get hot cocoa, not burgers/fries/etc. Our job here is complete! :)
Both Albert and I grew up without a Dad, for very different reasons, but we did. I am amazed everyday how great of a Papa Albert is for never having one himself. He has no idea what he is "supposed" to do (nor do I) but amazingly enough, he is the best Papa Antonio could ask for and the best Papa I could ever want for Antonio. Maybe since he has no idea that makes him better because he's trying to be the Papa he always wanted.
For us, Father's Day is bittersweet. A day that we would try our best to ignore, before Antonio. Now however, it is a day to celebrate Papa and show him how lucky we are to have him; because I do know how very lucky we are! :)
