Something changes in a man's heart when he becomes a father and the moment you become a mother you feel honored and blessed to witness this transformation. Of course both men and women begin changing their lives when they know they are expecting but the way men and women respond to the moment of birth is unique to their gender; completely raw and beautiful. For Father's Day let's celebrate men who step into fatherhood and being dads...
Obviously there are always exceptions to every rule but we can all agree that having a child demonstrates who someone really is; whether the parent truly shows up or runs away, they are still demonstrating who they really are. You see, the thing about kids is, they keep everything real. You will be forced to face who you are including all the imperfect, embarrassing and ugly parts of who you are, whether your child realizes it or not - your kids are the ultimate mirror. I first witnessed the transformation of how a man can love in my then husband when our son was born. My son's dad was so in love with our little boy, even before he was born, the doctor had to kindly ask him to get out of the way because he was so eager to meet him. The moment my son's dad held our son nothing else existed in the entire world but the two of them. I witnessed his heart vowing to that tiny baby boy to do and be everything for him and to right every single wrong from that moment on. In that moment I knew that no matter the hardships of our marriage we came together for that little boy and we would do a hell of a job co-parenting him because we always would respect the love we shared for this tiny human. Not long after, I witnessed my younger brother start a family of his own; he too left me in awe of how devoted he was to his kids. My brother has an amazing talent in being constantly engaged, gentle and kind, even when upset or angry. My standards were blind when I was young. I didn't get to see the change in my father when I was born, I only knew the gentle and kind dad that worked all the time. I only knew the man who was never violent and whose perspectives were more important to me than anyone's on earth. He has a way of staying silent until he has a very clear and direct perspective to offer and when he decided to speak, everyone would listen, and then he would retreat back into his mind castle. I was so in awe of him that I didn't understand how different men could be, I had no real frame of reference. Recently I was telling my brother about the man I had begun seeing and my brother asked one question, "What does he talk about the most?" This question made my heart skip a beat and took my breath away for a moment because the answer was, "His kids". This question brought so much together for me. When you're a mother and you date any man who doesn't have children there is a void in every interaction. You can't explain to people who don't have children what that void is nor do you need to. This thing that happens when a man has a child, when he accepts and feels this sense of sacred duty for this new life, it expands him. He begins to learn a healthy balance of selflessness and self-care and remains continually challenged by this for the rest of his life. To witness a dad meet their child where they are at in life, from tenderness at birth, to getting silly and messy with them in childhood, challenging their growth as they become teenagers, and guiding them into adulthood with their wisdom - as a mother, I ask you, is there anything sexier?! In only a few months of getting to know a man who is a devoted dad, hearing him talk about his kids and his family and all his hopes and dreams for them I remember why I set the bar as I high as I did. My dad and my brother aren't the only men who know how to love in different ways. My dad and brother aren't the only men who used fatherhood as an opportunity to become greater versions of themselves. My dad and brother aren't the only men that have learned to apply the lessons fatherhood offers into all manners of life. There is so much strength and courage in a love this powerful and when a man applies all of what he's learned into other relationships everyone wins. For the first time in my life I feel home wherever I am because I know that only I can give that to myself but when I'm with this man, this father, I am reminded of that feeling because he carries it with him. He offers the wisdom and stability his family needs when they need it and he makes everyone he loves feel that sense of home and belonging. This is what dads do, no matter how much time changes things, they remind the women in their life what home should feel like, they are our bearing point, our compass, our constant. So to all the fathers who do their best to be the best dads they can be, regardless of the family context as defined by blood, law or anything else, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Happy Father's Day!
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Life can be hard and confusing and when you're trying to get this life thing down people come along that you want to get to know which can make things even trickier. I found this article today, The Confusing and Horrible Rise of the Several-Night Stand and part of me felt defensive and part of me felt a little depressed. My biggest frustration though is that the internet seems to have forced us into labeling things to the point of picking them apart so much we forget how to be present, how to enjoy the moment and how to build unrealistic or unfair expectations because we're on the defense all the time. I mean, is any of this even new? Or are people just coming up with new terms or buzz words to get more clicks? Read the article and let me know what stands out to you most if you wish. Read on if you want a summary based on my experience and opinion.
Let's begin by saying the word "horrible" is used to shock you into reading the article (it worked for me) but the point of it all is communication. I can only truly speak for women since I have the most experience as a woman but if a woman can communicate well these arrangements don't have to be horrible. Sometimes two people are not in the position to commit to a full-blown relationship, or to be even more frank, they are interested in someone but don't quite feel they are ready to commit to that person yet (or maybe ever). If the conversation is being had and both people know where they stand and if they agree to discuss any feelings as they change (because odds are they will) then this doesn't have to be horrible or confusing. If one of the parties does not feel comfortable with the potential of changing feelings or future conversations about the relationship (good or bad) then it's best to back away slowly and disengage to avoid future frustration. If you continue you are already basing your decisions on a fantasy, often the hope that the other person will become so enamored with you they will all of a sudden decide to communicate with you or always feel the way you want them to - a recipe for disaster. The question you can ask before starting a "several-night stand" relationship needs to be: Do you and the other person consider this as dating with the potential of growing into something more? Or not? If so, discuss what forms of intimacy are most important to you as you get to know one another so one person doesn't over-think not getting a 'goodnight' or 'good morning' text or any other possible faux-pas. Also, agree that if one of you begins to feel their feelings deepen they will bring it up and discuss any natural changes to the relationship at that time. Or, if one person begins to lose interest and doesn't want to hurt the other person then there will be no "ghosting" but they will be clear that they don't want any deeper attachment to grow. If feelings begin to deepen for either of you and you want to progress the relationship then it's time to have the "exclusivity" talk. This is not a topic that should be assumed by either party. If you both agree that your time together is a mutual "use-use" situation, you don't consider it dating, you don't have ideas of a long-term future and neither of you have expectations of how often you communicate, or see each other then that's great but just like the previous scenario, you need to both agree to be open if and when anyone's feelings start to change. The good news is, in these situations, if the communication is up front and frequent enough no one will ever feel "ghosted" if things change because there was never an expectation to begin with. This is how lovers can remain friends and genuinely happy for someone when they move on with their life (or love life). Or, you could keep trying to hook-up with people and be at their beck and call with the hopes that they may one day realize how amazing you are and want to commit and live with the constant state of internal drama that creates. The choice is always yours. Also, stop reading things that make you feel bad about yourself or your decisions. Be honest with yourself first and read things that are helpful, close the tab on the depressing stuff that makes you question yourself. Most of all, remember that everything in life is temporary and there is great strength and courage in living the law of detachment. |
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