TOUGH DAY FOR DAD, SON, GRAND DAD. WHY?Well, reflections of weakness, compulsion, addiction I (Grand Dad "Popi") never had to face...and probably give in to.
Seems the heralded "man in passage", Taylor, a week after our rite of passage wilderness pack-in (see www.GENDADS.com ), has done himself in with Dad. The kid cum young man can't keep eyes, hands, heart off the new laptop screen. Sound familiar? Cautions galore seemed to lose traction. Popi, living next door for the summer, sees it too, throws in his own mini-admonitions.
Dad is a youth-at-risk therapist. OH-oh. Knows the deep pain and price of addition in kids' lives he hammers on each day. Comes the consequence: ONE MONTH INTERNET SUSPENSION! "What about homeschool homework?" "Use a pen; they still work!"
Mom, Popi, wince. We hide our reaction; took only two seconds to realize the pain was even greater for Matt ("Hurts me more than it does you..." Well, not quite,). But we know he knows, "a dad’s gotta do what a dad's gotta do," 'cause not doing it is what got all these dads and their kids in trouble.
LIfe patterns and the legacy imprint by lectures, disciplines, and living out what we want them to see is what fathering is about. My grandad role in this one: keep my cool, smile deeply, and reaffirm Matt and then Taylor.
It all started at age 5:
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