Member-only story
FATHER BOTHER
When Father’s Day is Complicated
History repeats but doesn’t defeat
My son and I don’t celebrate Father’s Day. If you have read my other stories about him, you know I raised him alone. Unless you count the village that helped raise him, and believe me, I do. As a result, there are a couple of men and one woman that he can say Happy Father’s Day to. But not so much to his biological father. They had some good times together, facilitated by me, still there were lots of broken promises and no shows. As a result, he once posted the picture above with “Happy Father’s Day” as the caption.
He inherited the dark humor from my side of the family. It’s our coping style, and has served us well. He’s also funny like his father. Humor is what gets us through the day. Especially Father’s Day.
My own father was a mixed bag too. He was physically present, but emotionally distant. He brought home and cared for stray animals, and was the designated person to take them all to the vet at the end of their days. He was highly protective, but not always in a healthy way, or for healthy reasons.
He punched my sister’s band director in the guy’s front yard when he didn’t like the way he was treating my sister. Somehow, he didn’t get in trouble.
