Father’s Day is Approaching
What can I say? I hate Father’s Day. I hate it for two reasons…
First off, my father was about as useless as they come. He left my mom when I was only a year old. Even worse, my mother was pregnant with my younger brother at the time. What kind of person does that? What possesses someone to leave his pregnant wife with a 1 year old and a 5 year old to fend for themselves? He’s an asshole. I’ve tried reaching out from time to time in hopes that I could get some sort of explanation about why he would do such a thing. Nada.
Over the years, my mom tried to explain to me that my father was a self-centered and selfish man. My mom also had to take drastic measures in order to FORCE the man to pay child support. He’s spent a Christmas in jail before because he bailed on being responsible. We ended up catching up to him by calling my grandparent’s house and lerarning that he was there.
I’ve never received a call from him on my birthday. Not once. I think he’s probably on his 4th or 5th wife. He’s married to a woman that is only a few years older than my oldest brother. He has a family with them. He’s got a son and daughter with Leigh. That means that I have a half-brother and half-sister out there that probably have no idea that I even exist.
I never had a father figure growing up. My mom never remarried. She dated here and there, but nothing ever panned out for her to remarry. I had no one to take me to scouting events. I had no one to teach me how to hit a baseball or catch one for that matter. On top of that, my mom had to work her ass off just to provide for me and my brothers. I commend her for that.
Secondly, I hate Father’s Day because that means that I’m going to have to deal with Trace’s dad. His dad is an asshole, and as much as it pains me to say it, his only saving grace is that he’s not as bad as my dad. It’s been several weeks since we heard from him. I’m predicting a phone call next Thursday evening letting Trace know that he’ll pick him up on Saturday and keep him overnight. The guy does nothing for Trace. It’s a chore for him to go to a fucking baseball game. It’s inconvenient for him to drive out of his way for anything that Trace needs. He’s a prick. He doesn’t deserve to be Trace’s father.
There should be a Stepfather’s Day. People can’t even really begin to imagine how difficult it is emotionally for stepfathers on Father’s Day. What are you going to do though?
So, when Father’s Day rolls around, I’m going to call my mom and wish her a Happy Father’s Day. She played both parts, and she deserves it.