Childbirth is always a life-changing experience that everyone expects for the mom and dad. But what I didn't see coming was how the birth of my son would change the life of my father in a whole new way. Seeing the dramatic turnaround of things really made me believe anyone can change, it just takes the right moment.
My father has always loved living in the moment. Back when I was still young, I remember he liked to party repeatedly. One moment, in particular, comes to mind; we were having a house party as usual, and he took me to the dance floor for us to showcase our father-daughter dance moves. After the parties, he usually stayed up on the couch, watching his favorite movies.
There was never a dull moment at our place. My parents always had someone visiting them every other day, and that meant our place was always noisy and full of drama. My childhood was packed with lots of travelling. As a family, we were always on the road for one reason or the other. I can easily say, I was a renowned traveler even before I became an adult.
Then time caught up with us. I grew older, and so did my dad. As life would have it, I started a completely new chapter for myself far from my dad and mom. I got a job that made it difficult for me to move around, and one thing led to another, I fell in love. So, distance didn't help us with our endeavors, and before you know it, my parents and I stopped having our little adventures. As he aged, my dad didn't stay up all night like he used to, and he became slower, and colder.
Mom and dad always wanted a big family. All through my adult years, my parents kept pestering me for grandchildren, and I kept telling them I was more focused on my career than any other thing.
Then out of the blue, I became pregnant.
The day I gave the news to my parents that I was pregnant with a boy, my dad couldn't contain his joy. I just knew he was going to be the happiest granddad in the world. He was already looking forward to teaching him the football and how to ride a bike, and my son wasn't even born yet.
He even went as far as to get him a soccer shirt, big enough to fit a 15 years old boy. This just showed how happy he was about the new baby.
Seeing him with my son gives me nothing but joy
I have to say that it wasn't easy at first. It had been long since he held a baby, so my dad was a bit worried about hurting him. I remember him asking me repeatedly how long newborns have to sleep in a day because he couldn't wait to stare at his grandson and make funny faces. However, with each passing day, my dad's love for his grandson increased astronomically.
As soon as my son could crawl, my dad will be right beside him, monitoring the whole situation to ensure he was safe and free from trouble.
When my son has grown into a toddler, and the fun just keeps coming. My dad is relentless, and he doesn't just stop having fun with him. I see him doing things with him as he did with me when I was a kid, and this gives me so much reason to be happy.
Whenever we are out as a family, my dad takes it upon himself to let anyone and everyone know that he is his favorite grandson (even though he is the only grandson, he still gives him the number one title). He also goes around asking people if he and my son look alike. Funny thing is he thinks that they are identical twins just given birth to in different times. Well I cannot really complain, because my son resembles me, and I have the same facial features as my dad, so I guess his theory might be correct after all
Sometimes we were having a family dinner, and I was trying to tell my dad something, but he wasn't even listening, he was having fun playing with my son.
While I tried to get his attention, he said something that struck me
"My life is all about him now, not you anymore."
That moment really struck me. As cool as my dad was with me, he is way cooler to my son. The birth of my son has transformed him into a warm, loving person. This is the person I would want my son to experience.
It is my wish that my dad lives for many more years so he can play around with his grandson as much as he likes. I can easily say that the birth of my son has turned my dad into the world's best granddad.
Happy father's day to my dad!
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