Sunday, March 6, 2011

Father and Son


My husband and I were both married twice. 
From our previous marriages came four beautiful children. 
My hubby had two girls and I had two boys.  As far as the kids were concerned, no one could ever take the place of their father,
just as I could never take the place of mother in the lives of his daughters. 
We could never even try because; when you are a step-parent,
you're in a bit of a different category.  It's not a bad place to be,
because for the children;
there are more people to love and support them.
Or, at least, that is how it should be.   



My youngest son was only a year and a half old when my hubby and I met. 
My husband made a very large impression on my youngest boy as they
spent a great deal of time together.  
Scott was too young to start school and so we used that time
to take him on many truck driving trips across the country. 
I loved to travel as a kid
and my husband and I were very happy to provide him
with many different sights and experiences across the country. 


During those years and all of the summer school vacations on the road,
the two of them became very close.  
My little one could see it was not an easy job,
he respected his step-dad a great deal.  
My husband always took great care of Scott, 
looking out for his safety.
On the road, my son would sit in the passenger seat with his
little arm holding an "imaginary" steering wheel -for hours! 
He copied everything my husband did
as they sat together, through the miles, talking about everything under the Sun! 
Of course, all the while, I was in the back
trying to keep up with their conversations, in between reading and naps... 

  
The respect and friendship between them is immeasurable. 
Scott and my hubby became like two peas in a pod. 
Even now, despite my husband's illness,
they have continued to grow closer. 
Since I now work, my husband has taken on my role within the household for Scott. 
After school every day, my son reports to his step-dad's bedside and discusses
 what homework he has and how his day was at school. 
Scott reads aloud to him and always somehow gets my hubby to tell him stories of the old days.  
They both love to watch old westerns, speak about classic cars and
wonder what life was like from a whole other era! 
They are both old souls- 
even though one is 10, and the other, 49.

photos 1,2,3, via:  my son's favorite book "The Trucker" by Brenda and Mark Weatherby
photo 4 via: #4

2 comments:

  1. Today when I wrote this, my son stood over my shoulder reading the lines. I looked up at him and asked him if he missed those road trips and as his eyes welled up with tears, he said,
    "It's okay, I'll always have my memories".

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  2. We were the much like you. I had 3 boys and my husband had 2 when we married almost 31 yrs ago. Below is something my son, John, wrote about my husband and his father's wife.

    "STEP-parents"

    What is a STEP-parent?

    A STEP up when it's just barely out of reach.
    A STEP down when I've bitten off more than I can chew.
    A STEP back when a lesson must be learned.
    A STEP forward to claim me in times of shame and pride.
    A STEP across that imaginary line that divides what I can and can't become.
    A STEP towards me when I'm lost.
    A STEP away when I need to define my space.
    A STEP in the right direction when I don't know where to start.
    A STEP taken side by side with me to let me feel your love.
    ~~~~ John Fischer

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