Here in the UK its been Father's Day ... not a traditional celebration for some of us, but growing in popularity. My own Father tended to treat it with a certain amount of scepticism, considering it to be a 'made up day', but these days is happy to receive a phone call as an acknowledgement.
I have been spending the day with my youngest daughter, giving her a lift to see her Dad, as she doesn't drive. But first we got to spend some time together, with the youngest grandchild, who is just learning to crawl :-) and she demonstrated her skills to her Grandpa on skype video. We put the laptop on the floor, and she shuffled her way across to it, an irresistible draw as she is not allowed to touch it :-) My husband (step dad to my daughter) was thrilled to see the little one do her thing, and of course to chat to her mum :-)
My eldest daughter's status on FB said something like any **** can father a child, but it takes a real man to be a dad, and I am very lucky that I have two. She then went on to congratulate her current partner for his parenting of his own 2 girls, her own 2 boys and their son. Yes a big mixed family, and very happy and proud we all are.
Its all about loving each other for who we are, and being proud of our children and our part in their lives. Having a 'blended' or extended family, it was good to see the children contacting both their natural (biological) father and step-father today, and acknowledging both as being parents in their lives.
My daughter had some old family photos of before her father and I split up, and some before she was even born. We had a good chuckle at some of them - bad hairstyles and glasses, and the sweet faces of the kids when they were very small. Emotional stuff, but good emotions, and wonder that I was ever so young and slim!
We saw lots of similarities between my girls and their children, even those who initially did not seem to take after their parent! It was a fun day, and the visit to Dad went well too, so a good day all round.
And now I am settled at the end of the day, in reflective mood, but with a warm feeling of family. Not much to add, but just a good day to share :-) enjoy your families and remember those who care for you just because ... and that's what family is all about!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
There and Back Again ...
After a long week I am back at home again. Its not been foreign travel this time, but another series of hotels and motorways. After a fabulous family weekend, going back to work is always a trial, and never more so than when I am travelling.
It is a constant source of joy and delight to share with the family, but sometimes the sharing can be not so fabulous - and this weekend was one of those ... the stomach bug they had all had during the week, hit me at the weekend. Driving the boys back home, the bug landed and by the time I was at my daughter's, I was not fit for much at all! I staggered home and then got myself ready for the next day's business engagement, and on Tuesday morning at the crack of dawn, I was off to my client.
The after effects of the bug lasted all week, and with hotel food and visits to friends my poor tum did not have much chance to recover.
But with all of that, I managed to survive the week, and only one thing slipped through the net - my youngest daughter was waiting for me to text her to keep in touch, and I was waiting for her!
In these days of modern communication we should be easily able to do this, and yet somehow, we don't always make it happen. Its so important to keep in touch with the family - keep the lines of communication open, no matter what. Its why I like Facebook - not just because I can use for my own social network, but because it enables me to leave the door open for my step-son, with whom I have an uneasy relationship at best. We had a fine time when he was younger, but my husband's divorce from his first wife was not amicable, and as such, there was a steady and constant feed of 'bad news' about us from his mother. It was difficult to overcome, and eventually, for various reasons, including the majority of the discipline coming from us, the rift became unmanageable. In his teens, the decision could be made voluntarily, and we began to see less of him as a family. But through social media networks, we can keep in touch in 'safe' environment.
And this weekend, I shall make up for the missing texts to my youngest, and visit her. And I look forward to seeing my youngest grandchild and see what she has learnt to do this week!
I hope to have something else news worthy to blog about soon - but until then, I shall leave you all to a peaceful weekend. And I shall placate my cats who are getting very suspicious of my suitcases ... LOL
It is a constant source of joy and delight to share with the family, but sometimes the sharing can be not so fabulous - and this weekend was one of those ... the stomach bug they had all had during the week, hit me at the weekend. Driving the boys back home, the bug landed and by the time I was at my daughter's, I was not fit for much at all! I staggered home and then got myself ready for the next day's business engagement, and on Tuesday morning at the crack of dawn, I was off to my client.
The after effects of the bug lasted all week, and with hotel food and visits to friends my poor tum did not have much chance to recover.
But with all of that, I managed to survive the week, and only one thing slipped through the net - my youngest daughter was waiting for me to text her to keep in touch, and I was waiting for her!
In these days of modern communication we should be easily able to do this, and yet somehow, we don't always make it happen. Its so important to keep in touch with the family - keep the lines of communication open, no matter what. Its why I like Facebook - not just because I can use for my own social network, but because it enables me to leave the door open for my step-son, with whom I have an uneasy relationship at best. We had a fine time when he was younger, but my husband's divorce from his first wife was not amicable, and as such, there was a steady and constant feed of 'bad news' about us from his mother. It was difficult to overcome, and eventually, for various reasons, including the majority of the discipline coming from us, the rift became unmanageable. In his teens, the decision could be made voluntarily, and we began to see less of him as a family. But through social media networks, we can keep in touch in 'safe' environment.
And this weekend, I shall make up for the missing texts to my youngest, and visit her. And I look forward to seeing my youngest grandchild and see what she has learnt to do this week!
I hope to have something else news worthy to blog about soon - but until then, I shall leave you all to a peaceful weekend. And I shall placate my cats who are getting very suspicious of my suitcases ... LOL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)