I really love to watch the interaction between Dads and their kids. The relationship is different then what you see with Moms. There are many different situations, for example that Dad might be the pushover, and easy going one. The Mom might be the disciplinarian, and no-nonsense one. Or it’s the other way around, or even a good combo of both.
But it is the way kids look at their Dads that I love to see. I watch it in the mall, parks, church, all the time.
I took this picture with my cell phone at the rodeo this year. That little girl above is looking at me thinking, ” Oh yeah, see this guy? I have him wrapped around both little fingers… and he loves it!”
Today we were at the airport standing in line and a man and his (I am guessing…) 17 year old son were in line behind us. The father was wearing a jumpsuit, like overalls with his work badge and name sewn on the front. The son was dressed a little preppy, polo shirt, white shoes, and shorts. They looked as if they almost didn’t belong together. But you knew instantly they were when you saw the way they looked at each other.
The Dad looked worried, and all through the line he was instructing his son on how to do everything, because it seemed the son was flying alone. He was demonstrating how to put his luggage in the overhead bins, how to hand over his ticket to the person at the gate and where to keep his ID so he didn’t lose it.
From listening to the Dad, I could tell that he himself had not flown in a quite a while, as things have changed in the last few years, but he was confident in front of his son.
I watched them all through check in and then through security. The Dad was allowed to walk him to the gate. This scene brought tears to my eyes a few times as we stood there. I could see my husband doing this with any of our children and could remember my Dad doing this same thing with me. Teaching me how to drive, ride a bike, and fly alone for the first time. I wanted so bad to offer to help or wait at the gate with him so the Dad could get to work, but I didn’t want to interrupt something that you just can’t explain.
It was like a scene from a movie in real life. I don’t know their situation, or what their story was, but just from the body language it was playing out. Here is a Dad who looked as if he never had the the chance to go to college, worked a hard job to support his family and was proud of his son. He wanted him to have opportunities that he didn’t have. The son seemed like in certain situations he might be embarrassed by his families situation financially, but loved his Dad very much. I don’t fault him for that, as a teenager once myself you just need some time to grow up. But he needed his Dad there with him, he asked him all kinds of questions and wasn’t irritated when his Dad kept telling him to not lose his ID.
We lost them after security, but I can’t stop thinking about them and wondering where the son was going? College, camp, or to see family? I love to see that same look on my kids faces when they look at their Dad and Grandpa. I know that my husband and I feel that way for our kids, and worry about them, and try and teach them everything we know so that they are safe and confident. I am thankful for the glimpse into their life that they gave me today. It was beautiful.
Part comedian, part Dad, part athlete. He will boss around your children while they play ball.
Just as angelic as she looks, this girl could easily raise a Village by herself, and all the children would grow up to be President.
Self proclaimed, she would be a webkinz dog. Because, "they're cute, and puppies are too. And they're sweet and they always get along with other puppies."
This mini-Martha Stewart can handle ANY craft you send her way. She isn't all bows and rainbows, she's got karate kid moves!
Not "Pick-Me-Up" like caffeine, she wants you to pick her up! AND NOW!
Anything that can be destroyed WILL be destroyed!
Practically Perfect in Every Way for now! Nicknamed "The Panda" she is rolly polly and lives by the motto, "the little one, is KING!"
The resident Labradoodle, Miller got his name because Mom won and got to name the baby! Need something chewed up? He'll take care of it. Especially if it's expensive..
What a touching post. Thank you! I love to watch my kids look at their father, especially my 8 month old. His eyes just light up!
Tiffany,
You are such a kind and sensitive person. I welled up reading this post, and it also gave me a jolt of appreciation for my kids and husband that I love so very much.
Hyedi
Probably back to mom- summer vacation is coming to an end…
That was lovely. Made me want to “peek” into stranger’s lives a little more often.
Thanks for the great story. Brings back memories of my daughter with my husband. Such a strong bond. (He was the push over like most dads with their daughter) They flew together once without me and are terrified of flying. He did a great job easing her anxiety while flying in a horrific storm with people bouncing out of their seats. Thankfully they were both so scared anyway they flew across country with their seatbelts on the entire time. I was very proud of him. She mentioned to me how he never showed fear and she had no idea he was scared to fly. When flying with the both of them I always sat in the middle and they would squeeze my hands so hard when we took off and landed!
Lovely post! I’ve been the child in this same scenario many times, and now that my dad has passed away, I long to be right back there sometimes. I always knew he’d never lead me astray. Love you and miss you, Daddy!
Love the picture…she is a cutie….great story…
We’ve been doing this to my 13 and 10 year old daughters since last summer. They fly from Dallas to Pittsburg to see their grandparents. I’m so proud of them, and it brings me tears when I see them get off the plane. They look so different and grown. I could picture this dad and son, and here I am crying. Thanks for sharing the story, Tiffany!
Cute story!!! I love seeing all the people at the airports and thinking about where they’re going and why. I was just at IAH Monday coming home… we had 2 layovers and I saw all kinds of parents nervously waiting with their children who were flying alone at the gates. My boyfriend and I are people watchers so we love seeing all the families, friends and business people flying and guessing their stories. It’s funny that we’re not the only ones that do that, I wonder what people say about us…
Seriously??? You just brought tears to my eyes! Such a lovely post! I remember being embarrassed about my family’s financial situation as a kid. We lived in a trailer, not the nice ones. No. It was itty bitty, from the 1920,s, patches of leftover carpet, unpainted walls, no AC. Our car was at least 20 yrs old. But now, as an adult, I appreciate everything my parents did to provide for us as kids. And now, as a parent, I focus on teaching my kids the important things in life (which have nothing to do with materialistic or name brand things). We are fortunate enough to be able to afford iPods for them, and designer clothes, but we don’t buy it for them. Instead we try to focus on building character, and instilling values that will last them a lifetime. I want them to focus on the important things that matter: family, love, and serving others!
I was having such a horrible day, and then I read this post. What a great story! Thank you for this small break and for bringing my spirits up 🙂