On Fatherhood, Manhood & Becoming Better Ancestors.
I got this urgent text from my baby girl, Anastacia. I freaked out, thinking something was wrong. Super Daddy was ready to launch into action.
One of my worst Only having my daughters every other weekend forced me to be intentional with my parenting. I didn't have time to waste. I couldn't help but notice that as adults, we're constantly telling stories from our childhood. Pay close attention, and you'll hear it sprinkled in many conversations.nightmares as a father is imagining my daughters as 30-year-old adults struggling to cope with...
One of my worst nightmares as a father is imagining my daughters as 30-year-old adults struggling to cope with their childhood stories and traumas. As children of divorce, this seems inevitable.
Oh, Ramen. You get such a bad rap. You're incredibly bad for us. But you keep us afloat during the lean times.
You just can't beat 10 for $1.
I think a lot. A lot!
My mind is difficult to tame.
One of the topics that occupies a great deal of time is my identity. My image.
I see myself a very incredibly diverse and unique individual.
I am no one thing. No one culture. No one color.
I am Mexican by birth. I happened to be born on a patch of dirt in a small town but my love and roots run deeper.
I am American by migration and upbringing
I QUIT! 12 years ago today, I quit my job and became a business, man.
Now that I was divorced, I would only see my daughters every other weekend. In that same time frame, I found myself working in retail management after having an excellent office job for a couple of years.
I became acutely aware of what the term "daddy issues" meant as I started dating after my divorce.
I had a ton of them. This fact is apparent to anyone who has read my writing for any length of time.
There are no shortcuts.
What if they catch me?
What will I tell my family and friends? It felt icky, and I was breaking the law.
“I will never drink,” screamed little 7-year-old Teevee.
Hearing my father vomit in the toilet after a long night of drinking is a memory I will have eternally etched in my mind.
They can shoot a basketball with decent form. They throw and catch a football (often better than most boys). They can write with power and vulnerability, step on stage, and share their truth with a room full of people. They can draw, paint, shoot, and edit. I'll stop there.
I hated smiling in photos. I didn't like my smile and made sure never to do it. I felt like I looked like an idiot.
It's not hard to avoid smiling if you're unhappy with your life. It was the last year of my marriage, and I was going through old photos of myself with my daughters.
On Fatherhood, Manhood & Becoming Better Ancestors.