The Sweet Sound of a Dad Turning Into a Grandpa

Dad with Mom, Alana, me, Ryan & Jordan in Great-Grandpop's backyard

Dad and Mom's wedding with me, Ryan and Jordan

Mom's graduation with both Granny and Grandma and us 3 kids

December 2009 photo of Mom and Dad visiting for Sofia's birthday

Tim, Ryan, Dad, and Eli at Alana's wedding

Dad making Gabe laugh -- a really cool sight (and even more beautiful sound)

Rachel, Bubbe, Ryan, Dad, Mom, Alana, Eli, Tim, me and Jordan, circa 2002

Sofia's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese in Dec 2009

One of my favorite pics of Dad with Alana and Rachel

I don't write about my dad often because he was such a hard ass, I'm afraid people might misinterpret what I have to say. But as strict as he was, I know that he meant well and that he did the best he could. I turned out alright and I owe him a lot of credit. Dad has mellowed out immensely over the years and to see him as a grandpa is a really great joy.

When he married my mom, he took on 3 super young kids. He was an only child and I don't know that he knew the first thing about how to be a dad. He and mom went on to have 3 more kids. A lot of people think I cackle when I laugh -- I think that's because Dad outlawed laughing when I was a kid. You think I'm kidding, but the man was a serious hard ass and did not see the point in cracking up. He considered it exaggerating and he didn't see the point. I'm happy to say that I have heard him laugh plenty in his old(er) age. So as a grown-up, I probably laugh too much. Here are a few of the things I definitely owe my dad:

1.) my crazy bursts of laughter
2.) my work ethic -- he was insistent that you not stop a job until you were done with it and we always had chores; there was no such thing as an allowance -- we were earning our keep to live under his roof.
3.) the way I stand up for myself; Dad instilled a serious sense of "never let anyone walk on you" in us. This is kind of funny as I write it because he also outlawed me from saying, "That's not fair" -- he liked to say, "Well, life's not fair; get used to it."
4.) the way I listen. Dad taught us to consider something very carefully before you said it out loud. So I tend to try to take everything in before I open my big mouth to speak. :) In hindsight, he may have just been impatient with the way kids often stutter and stammer as they're trying to get a thought out. haha!
5.) the fact that snakes don't scare me and that I enjoy camping. (Dad's the curator of the reptiles and aquarium at the San Antonio Zoo.)
6.) the way I clean -- I feel like I'm channeling Dad sometimes when I'm reminding the kids that their shoes don't belong in the living room.
7.) the fact that I expect a lot out of Tim. Dad wasn't just the disciplinarian. He did a lot of the cooking, a lot of the cleaning and most of the fixing.

I am really proud of my dad. Most people who know me know all about him -- they know about his love for reptiles and tattoos and Harley-Davidson, and that he's the father of six kids and grandfather of six more.

You know something that strikes me as ironic is that I adored the way my Grandpa laughed. My dad's dad was such a goofy man, and I miss him a lot. I wonder what he was like as a father though. I'll have to ask my dad the next time I talk to him. I imagine we all learn a lot during parenthood; I know I learn something new every single day. And I can't imagine the stories my kids will tell when they're older. They'll probably say I was a hard ass. :) I love you, Dad, and I'm thankful for all that you did for us.

Happy Father's Day!
love,
Kristinn