People who know me know that I am a big kid. Even though my childhood was not perfect(Much more on this in the book) I have fond memories of it.
Everything was so amazing and nothing was impossible! My Hotwheels, plastic soldiers, Vertibird, electric train set, Power passers, Intellivision, Schwinn World Sport(which I still have!), mini-bike, dirt bike, my Buick Electra, etc…… Going to the movies with uncle Jeff was so much fun, especially the R rated ones! Sleepovers with all my friends then sneaking out! Playing guns outside(None of us has shot anyone or committed violent crimes either!) My great friends and all the sports and crazy games we made up!
The Tv shows were the best! SpeedRacer, Scooby Doo(hey, he is still popular!). Pink Panther, Ray Rayner, Zoom, The Electric Company, Gilligan’s Island, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Starsky & Hutch, The Incredible Hulk(Hey, I watch that now on cable!), etc…….
I tell my nieces and nephew to enjoy being a kid and they laugh. Someday they will understand what I mean. I will always keep that child within me close to the surface.
I always knew that I wanted kids but, as most of us know, I needed the right woman to do it with. Well, along came My Love when I least expected it–isn’t that what everyone says always happens??– and voila!
The day that Emma was born seems so surreal now. To be with Melissa and experience the birth of Emma is the single most incredible thing I have ever done!
As soon as I saw Emma I saw a miniature Melissa! I still do!! :) Boy, am I in trouble!
During the next couple of days, many thoughts raced through my mind as if I had a race going on in there. Will I be a good father? Will I be able to show her the love that I felt a father should show–not the love that many fathers “show.” Will I be able to protect her from the evils of the world? Will I be able to protect her from the males that are like I was??
I wonder what things she will cherish and remember when she is my age. Which toys will she remember most, which TV shows, which experiences?
Her birth signaled a new life for me. As Jaime correctly told me–now the real work starts… Little did I know how demanding it would be. It is very demanding both physically and mentally, let me tell you. (But, you parents already know!) It is, however, the most satisfying work there is!