June 19, 2016

It’s Father’s Day in Singapore and it’s so nice to be able to celebrate this day with my boys to honour the most beautiful dad I could ever hope for my kids.   Seriously, I know everyone reckons their husband is the best dad ever, but I hit the jackpot with Steve. I read Stephen Biddulph’s ‘Raising Boys’ when my lads were little. In it he writes that mum has her boys until six, dad from 6-12 and then they belong to the world.     I cannot tell you how lucky I feel that during this age, their dad is very very present.    Working from home, Steve works his arse off when the boys are at school and then he stops everything to do homework and take them to their various sporting activities. On the weekends, he’s always out and about, going on adventures, making sure they have a blast.   Naturally the boys have no bloody idea how remarkable this is. Often the only dad at school, he’s always there, always present, always making sure the boys are number one in his life. It’s pure magic to watch and one day, my little dudes are going to realize that they have a very special dad indeed.     It’s not easy being a present dad. He is always the recipient of their ingratitude. He is told he is hated on a daily basis. He is told “this is the worst day ever” regularly too. Man that shit cuts deep when you are putting everything into your kids, but he never gives up, never steps back. He’s in it and those boys are going to love him for that. Well they already do, but they also know words are powerful and can really, reallyhurt. Bloody kids.   Both Steve and I have worked hard to build a life where we can work in a way that means we can be present for our kids. The last four years have been brutal for me, having to go back to regular work, where I was required to be in an office most days. I can not tell you how miserable that made me. I needed freedom. I needed to work on my terms. I needed to work where I wanted to work and when I needed to work. I needed to be able to attend school stuff too, without feeling guilty about it.   I needed what the future promise of work is. I just needed it before the world of work was ready to offer it completely. That reality is getting closer. I love technology for that.   So in the last couple of months, it’s been nice to step back into that dream. I needed to do what I did work-wise, to give me the exposure to get where I ultimately wanted to go, but it was hard. Really hard. I wasn’t born for a normal work-life. Maybe it’s because my dad always worked at home as an artist? I saw another way along time ago.   But being back in an office was so much easier knowing that Steve was home taking up the slack. Now we are sharing the load a little more and the boys seem to like having me around more too. I’m sure they’ll be hating on me soon. Bless them.   So thank you Steve for being a magical dad. Thank you also for teaching me that true love means to serve. I know it’s not always easy, but the time you are investing in our little loves will set them up to be the great men we want them to be in the world. It’ll be all down to you. That’s the magic of a great dad.   I am always thankful for the dad I had growing up, and now I’m thankful for the dad you are for Lex and Jax. They are lucky buggers and we all love you.   So who reckons they’ve got a better dad?   Yours without the bollocks Andrea BTW I’m on Twitter here, Google+ here, Instagram here, and Facebook too, if you’re interested in the other stuff I share. Feel free to share my blog if you think anyone you know will be interested or entertained. I sure do appreciate it when you do xxxxx