Standing with my child

My child came to me when very young and said, “Will you come with me to school Daddy?”

So I said I would and we started out together. My child ran on ahead and dashed into school.

When my child came out of school he turned a tearful face to me and said, “you said you’d come to school with me but I didn’t see you there…”

“So I did and we started out together didn’t we? But you ran on ahead and went in on your own you obviously thought you’d be alright without me.”

“But I missed you there Daddy!” said my child.

Later as my child grew and started to run he turned to me one day and asked me to be at the race that afternoon. I duly arrived and stood with all the others by the track watching with pride as our children performed their best. My child was doing very well but a few yards before the finish line he tripped and fell. Before he could struggle to his feet the others had all past him and so he came in last. He was crestfallen.

I went over to comfort him, I so wanted to hug him and tell him there would be other races and that I still loved him but he pushed me away, tears filling his eyes.

“I didn’t see you Daddy I so want you to see me doing well…” I tried to console him but he gritted his teeth and pressed on with his life.

As my child grew he tried many things and some succeeded while others failed and I was always there for him and occasionally he asked me for advice and occasionally he asked me to witness something he was attempting, I always said that I would be there, and I was.

There was the time he played for the school team and he had asked me to be there for him so I had put on my college scarf and stood with the rest of the crowd round the touch line, surely this time with my scarf on he would see me there, but he was so involved in the game he missed me altogether he came to within a whisker of me but dashed by trying to score some more points for his team.

After school my child continued to grow but he rarely asked me to be with him at what he was involved with. He went to college; to study, so I helped him with his finances and I carried him in my car to and from college. Then came graduation day, my child is an adult now, independent, self-reliant and he thinks himself mature too!

So I went to the graduation ceremony, he had not invited me but I knew there would be many others clamouring for his attention so I decided to do something really distinctive. I wasn’t going to be missed this time so I put on my hat and the college scarf so that I wouldn’t be missed. I found a place to sit right by the students as they went into the public gaze to receive their accolades. As he went by I called out to him,

“I am here, I am here as always I’ll stand by you, well done.”

This time he saw I was there, the colour drained from his face and as he turned away he stumbled towards the one handing out the accolades and tripped over his gown and fell on his face, his fancy hat cartwheeled across the platform. He was embarrassed, I could tell. The one giving out the accolades however bent down and helped him to his feet smiling gently. He said, “Well done you’ve really earned this, well done” and he handed my child his accolade.

Later my child came up to me disappointment written large across his face. “How could you Dad, how could you? Why couldn’t you be like all the others, why couldn’t you dress like all the others? Why did you have to stand out in the crowd like that?”

“Because I love you and I want you to know that I’ll always stand by you, you are my child after all.”

“It’s your fault I tripped up, Oh Dad!” was all he could say.

~~~+~~~

One day a long while later I did get a call from him, I saw him coming, he looked drained, his eyes were red for he’d been crying, I went out to him and gave him a hug. He sobbed and after a minute said why he’d come home.

“Oh Dad I’ve let you down,” he said. “I’ve got my girlfriend pregnant…” he poured out his heart and concluded. “…I wish I’d listened to you more, I’m so sorry…” he broke down again and sobbed for a couple of minutes.

I asked if I could meet her, he said yes; he’d hoped I’d go with him. So we went together and we all talked and well, to cut a long story short they have a fine child, wonderful in fact! I saw them all together, proud father sitting on the side of his wife’s bed; arm around her shoulders, both gazing down at Joshua, all 6lbs 5oz of him. They looked up at me and smiled. I have a feeling they won’t leave me out of their lives now.

You know, I’m going to enjoy this family.