Michael’s Home! An Unspoken Tip From My Late Father

I recently watched ESPN anchor, Scott Van Pelt, do an amazing tribute to his father. Scott’s dad passed away in 1988; 31 years later he still feels the pain.  SVP inspired me to share a brief story about my father.  

My dad passed away over 10 years ago in 2008.  He never met our four children; however, he impacts the way I approach parenting.  

I’ve shared this before, we were a sports family and dad was a sports guy: baseball, boxing, hockey and horse racing were his favorites.  We weren’t the overly “lovey” family but you could always feel the love (if that makes any sense).  What I remember most about my dad was that every time I walked in the door after I left for college, and any time after, was his reaction.  He’d yell to my mom, “Mollie, Michael’s home!”

The genuine excitement in his voice still gets me in my feelings.  He’d typically start looking for his note pad where he had written down things he wanted to tell me.  These things ranged from a harness horse driver getting their 1,000th win to some antidotal sport’s story.  

There was no judgment just pure joy to see me.  

A Thought for Parents:
There’s a lot of pressure, often self-induced, to provide a perfect childhood for our children.  Are we providing enough resources to help the kids “reach their dreams?” Are we providing too much and making them soft and entitled? Should we create challenging experiences to make them “tough?”  “Are we saving enough for college?”

After much reflection, I’m not sure any of that matters.  I really believe those things will sort themselves out.  What I do know is that any of my dad’s flaws were washed away because I knew how special I was to him.  Instead of agonizing over how we are doing as parents, maybe it’s just as simple as making sure our kids know we love them.  

Final Thought:
As I move into the most demanding time of year, I always struggle with not being around as much as I would like. Believe me, I’m not complaining, there are folks who have it much worse.  What I will do is make the most of the time with my kids by displaying excitement every time I come home.  My dad did it for me.  It’s my job to do it for them.  

Do you know what I’m most thankful for?  Is it some trip we took together?  Is it a monetary gift he gave me?  No.  

What I’m most thankful for, and what I miss the most, is feeling his genuine excitement when I walked through the door.