Mommage

To All You Dads

What Makes a Dad?

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
Author Unknown

Happy Father's Day!

-Contributed by the Mommage Moms

My Daddy RULES

Hi! My name is Christian. That's me in the picture. Everyone says I look like my daddy, so everyone must think he's pretty cute too. I turned seven months old yesterday. I'm a big boy now! My mommy, Dawn, is a writer for Mommage. (She rocks!) Since Father's Day is coming, I asked her if I could write a posting about my daddy for this week. She told me that it was okay. (I told you she rocks!)

On Going To Visit His Uncle Sam

It's official.  Kiddo has been accepted into Massanutten Military Academy for this Summer session.  He doesn't even know "he" applied, despite the fact that he signed the application.  Apparently he hasn't learned a darn thing from me, because otherwise he would have NEVER signed a piece of paper without reading it.

Last week culminated in a knock-down, drag-out brawl over homework.  I said, do it... he said, make me.  And I did - amazingly without having to resort to physical discipline.  Barely.  But it's isn't going to be long before he's bigger than me and phyiscal duress simply won't be an option.

One of the things he said about his homework just chilled me to the bone.  I guess it's time I tell you about my son's father ~ my ex-husband. 

Supporting Roles: Talking to Children and Considering Their Feelings

Guest contributor, Frank, once again shares his words of wisdom in another thoughtful and insightful post.  Mommage is always pleased to have Frank onboard.

We've all seen the idyllic images of life portrayed in Norman Rockwell's artwork, and shows like "The Wonder Years" and perhaps we've held those up as examples of what life and families are all about, but those are just "snapshots" of the best moments, and even then, real families just weren't like that, and they certainly aren't like that now.  Nothing in life comes full circle in a half hour sprinkled with commercials, or on some magazine cover's artwork.  Even today, when we put a photo album together, we put aside certain photos in favor of others, but even the one's we put aside, rarely get thrown away.  Parts of them still have sentimental meaning, and even less perfect photos play some supporting role in our minds, hearts and our family history.

Parent Job Description

This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way, I don't believe any of us would have done it!!!!

POSITION : Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION : Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES : The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION : None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE : None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION : Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS : While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

** AND A FOOTNOTE... THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!! ** If you are fortunate enough, you will become grandparents!

--Conributed by Renee

Hello!

I thought I might see you here today. I'm glad you stopped by. This is a good place to hang out while everyone else is glued to their television sets watching The Game.  This is the day people like us lose our spouses, partners, children and even parents.  It's the day we feel alienated and left out in the cold.  We probably won't even get to sample any event related food or view those multi billion dollar commercials because we'll be as far away from the television as we can get.  Yes, it's a lonely day for non-football lovers everywhere.

That's okay.  There's plenty to talk about here.  I'll start, if that's alright with you.

A Different Perspective

I usually think of myself as having the ability to understand people most of the time, but reading this article gave me a newfound awareness of what goes on in the minds of fathers.  I can't believe that after being married for so long and having two children, I never had enough insight to realize that fathers deal with the same fears, insecurities and sense of responsibility as mothers do regarding parenting and family issues.  It never occurred to me that "they get frustrated, they get scared, and they cry, too."  I wish I had read this article a long time ago so I could have had a better understanding of all the men in my family.

Maybe there's something to be learned from this.

Learning to Let Go

Now that my husband has gone back to work full-time, I'm the primary caregiver of my nearly month-old son. This nearly round-the-clock duty has forced me to find ways of soothing our son when he's having an out-of-control moment.

"Stepmommage" - A Rite of Passage

Mommage is pleased to once again welcome Jennifer as a guest contributor. Jen is the devoted step-mom of a wonderful teenage girl, and is well versed in both the joy and challenges that this parenting role entails.

My stepdaughter is 13 ("Jen, I'm ALMOST 14!"). She is well on her way to being a young lady, much to her father's dismay. Her being a young lady is what brought us to our current 'rite of passage'.

It started simply enough. We had completed our guest room and I wanted to move the twin captain's bed out of our old guest room and in to her room. This required some cleaning and rearranging of furniture. What we ended up with was a complete transformation from a little girl's room to a young lady's room.

The Power of Violence

I had a wonderful childhood.  My father's hard work and determination kept our family well provided.  He wasn't home as much as we would have preferred because he always worked at least a couple of part-time jobs, in addition to the full time one he commuted to each day.  In whatever spare time he had, he single-handedly rebuilt our house, transforming it from a hovel to a modest but respectable home.  It goes without saying that his life was very stressful.

 

My father was the most mild-mannered person I ever knew.  My memories of him are all times of happiness, humor and understanding.  He didn’t have a violent bone is his body and lacked the ability to even hurt a fly.  There was one night, however, when our quiet little lives were rattled by a brief moment of explosion.