Sunday night The Hubs took the big kids “camping.” I put camping in quotes because, while it was outside and in a tent, they weren’t REALLY camping. Admittedly, people claim to go “real” camping with fancier set ups than they had but there’s something about it being in the back yard that makes it not so impressive. Even so, sleeping outside with a 7 year old and 5 year old who’ve never gone camping is a brave undertaking.
The Hubs agreed to sleep in a tent in the backyard with The Boy. Of course, Crazy Eyes had to get in on the action. I even managed to get Moose to go into the tent too. Luna doesn’t like camping or even being outside most of the time so she wasn’t about it. He made them write down their supply list and set up their tent. I fixed them water bottles and sent them on their merry way. It was a Sunday night but it’s summer vacation for just a couple more days and, well, why the hell not? To their credit, no one came inside during the night so I was pretty impressed.
When I went to bed I could hear them talking in the tent. (Yes, through brick walls and an entire yard haha!) I laid there thinking about my husband. Sometimes he drives me insane. He is frustrating and has trouble with feelings and talking about them. He’s by no means perfect, but he always works hard to be a good Daddy.
He does his best to teach them what he knows about life and the world around them. Through his actions and words he shows them so much. Despite being a big grizzly biker man, he’s got a kind and giving soul. I’ve watched him drop everything to help strangers and friends in need. When we had friends without homes after the flood, he never hesitated and agreed to let them stay with us as long as they needed. He walked the neighborhood for an hour once with a dog who’d wandered off from his owners until he found them. He likes to buy food for homeless people outside of gas stations and then sit down and talk to them when many others won’t even look at them. He judges people based on their actions and not their societal labels and does his best to teach our kids to do the same.
He encourages the kids to learn and try new things. Together we enforce the “you must taste everything on your plate” rule and we talk about where food comes from. Now the kids aren’t afraid of new food and love learning about cultures via recipes. Already The Boy has learned to weld and Crazy Eyes will soon too. He supports them in the things they love and doesn’t let them give up when they get frustrated.
It makes my heart explode every time I see my big strong man play with his tiny baby girls in all of their frills. He is ridiculous and makes up silly songs to make them laugh. He plays practical jokes and tries to mess with the kids all the time. He never forgets to tell us all “I love you,” because he knows how fragile life is and how quickly it all could change. My Husband has seen loss and war and tragedy. He struggles with the after effects of combat. Like many veterans, he could have easily slipped down so many dark paths but he fights for his family. I am so happy that I chose this man to raise children and grow old with.
Mom Van Confessions 