What memory do you have of your father that makes you smile? It could be from your personal experiences or through stories you heard of him.
Father’s Day, on June 19, is just a few days from the time I’m writing this. It’s a day when most fathers are expected to be treated with gifts; some of them expect just gratitude.
Before they receive, they must give first.
How much more can a man give and be an awesome father when so much demand and pressure already have been put on him?
Allow me to share with you a different viewpoint. What do I remember best of what my father gave me?
A story you are about read, I’m taking you to one of my happiest childhood memories. It made me so happier than and gives me so much joy NOW to remember my time with my Daddy!
Why I’m sharing my story with YOU, a father or will be a father, is to show you from little girl memory and perspective that regardless of your status, power, where or what situation you are in at this moment, you are the most powerful man in your child’s eyes.
You have the power to gift the greatest gifts your child can remember of YOU that no one can.
I don’t have a lot of memories with my father because he passed away when my brother and I were very young. But the ones I have of him, they are very precious and brings me lots of joy inside out and put a smile on my face every time I think of him.
I remember vividly that it was a rainy and windy day during the Pol Pot Regime. There were giant, tall mango trees nearby our house. I was a little girl, but I knew the mangoes would fall off from the trees on days like that.
I was anxiously waiting for the rain and the wind to calm down. And as soon the rain and wind started to die out, I ran there.
Dad saw me. He could have set in the house, stayed dry, and let me picked the mangoes alone. But he didn’t. He started to walk behind me.
Underneath the mango trees, there were so many mangoes. There was a big one, a small one, a ripe one and a firm one.
Leave of a palm tree.
The first thing Dad usually did was that he put a few palm trees leaves together to hold the mangoes. We placed our mangoes on the leaves after we picked them off from the ground. We didn’t have bags or basket.
We had a competition game!
He was racing with me to see who could get to the mangoes first. Of course, I wanted to grab the mangoes before he did.
Who won’t want to if you were a little boy or girl?
Most of the time, he was just one or two steps short in getting to the mangoes before I did. I grabbed the mangoes, ran and put them on the leave.
As I put the mango down, I counted, “One!” I ran to the next one, picked it up, placed it on the leave and counted, “2!”
Some times, I held a few of them at a time and counted incrementally “3, 4..!”
He would put one down and count, “One!”
“Dad, I’m faster than you!,” I said to him and laughing with joy at the same time.
I was the fastest little mangoes’ collector there was. LOL. Yes, I know now the reasons why I usually won the competitions.
After collecting all the mangoes, we would carry them to our home. Well, usually he carried them. I held on to one of his hands. Some times, I wanted to carry them, so he let me carry some.
By now, we were soaking wet from head to toe from the rain. All I remember is that it was so much fun. I looked forward to the mangoes season.
WAYS TO CREATE MEMORIAL MEMORIES WITH YOUR CHILD
WHAT YOU DON’T NEED
- You don’t have to buy fancy gifts.
- You don’t have to be a president like the former President John F. Kennedy, who was a great father to his daughter, Caroline Kennedy and to this nation, the USA.
- You don’t have to do something extraordinary or go out of your way to show off that you are better than other fathers.
- You don’t have to be rich with lots of money.
- You don’t have to have fancy expansive cars, big homes, boats and/or airplanes.
- It is not so much about money that can hire the best nannies or babysitters in the world.
- Don’t just let your wife handling the family talk, or she takes care of the kids. It’s not considered a woman’s job. If you create a kid into this world, it IS your lifetime duty as well. It is the father’s job. Don’t you agree?
Many kids today have the wealthiest fathers (parents), yet they are so broken and torn apart inside.
WHAT YOU NEED
All you need is LOTS of genuine LOVE, forgiveness, compassion and sharing responsibilities in caring for your kid(s). When the kids are very young, all your kids want, know and live for each day is to play, eat and love. That is the time when you nurture, give them love and guidance.
If you are a father or father-to-be, there are countless ways to create happy lasting memories with your kid(s). Here are a few simple and realistic suggestions that your kids are so proud to call you, DAD!:
- Give the memory that each one of your children will remember you for who YOU are. The true Dad whom she/he is so proud of to call you, FATHER.
- Involve in your kids’ activities – Buy or make a kite and spend some time with your child at a park and/or a beach. Kids love parks and beaches when they are young.
- Spend your precious time with your precious loved ones! That means you are caring for them. You take 30 minutes each day to be with your kid after getting off from your work. Yes, it’s very tempting to just be a couch potato. These days, it’s mobile devices.
- It is the time when you feed her/him.
- The time you spend a few minutes combing her/his hair.
- The time you spend playing dolls with her. Yes, it’s a girl thing, sweet and nothing to be ashamed of. Not playing with her would be ashamed.
- The silly time that you allow that “kid” always inside you to come out and play with your kid.
And the list goes on…
If you strip away all the materialistic you have in your possession, it all comes down to the time you spend loving your kid(s).
The precious memories that make you’re a memorial AWESOME Dad are the mini moments you spend with each child.
Happy memories you create for your child NOW, they have profound impacts through her/his life. They are the foundations, the bridges to build and create deep and meaningful relationships with other people they come across in their lifetime. And they will pass it down when they have their own family some days.
The happy moment you gift to your child right NOW, it cannot be erased or taken away by anyone.
You have the control of this moment in time. Choose to spend time with your child and create the bonding relationship that lasts a lifetime and into the next generations when your grand-kids talk about grandfather. YOU!
We lived during the starvation and genocide regime. My Father neither starved nor killed his LOVE for father-daughter times. For the little time we had together, he clearly created a rainbow in my heart. We don’t have a picture of him. All our pictures destroyed during the war. He was and is my AWESOME Dad in my heart forever!
A part of living a fulfilling life is to create a paradise within. That is to gift and create many happy moments with your kid(s).
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO YOU! 🙂