I Got Myself a Dad

Have you ever wondered how your life would have turned out if you had a different kind of childhood? If not, then you're most likely one of the lucky ones who had a good childhood - or at least a decent childhood. 

I believe it's important for children to have chores and learn responsibilities, but I don't think they should have so many duties that they can't enjoy just being a kid. Childhood is a time for fun, a time to be carefree. Or at least, that's what childhood should be. Children should be able to experience life and just have fun while learning basic skills and developing into caring, sympathetic adults. 

As a young child I thought I had that life. The first few years of my life seemed carefree, fun and much like those of any other child. I lived "up north," as they like to say in Michigan, on a tiny body of water called Dodge Lake. I lived with my mom, brother (Fred) and twin sister (Tracy). We didn't live right on the lake but rather across the street from it, about a quarter mile from my grandparents' place, which was right on the lake. I remember making that quarter-mile trek many times as a kid and even after we moved downstate walking around the lake. That was always one of my favorite things to do. Walking has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember - and it's one thing I still love to do.

Sometime when I was between the ages of 3 and 4, my mom started dating this man, Loren, whom I was nervous around at first but soon grew to like quite a bit. It wasn't until I was older that I realized my mom had met this man through a classified ad in the newspaper. That seems like a strange way to meet a man with whom you plan to spend the rest of your life, but I suppose it's really no different than online dating today. I never asked my mom how long they dated or when we actually met him for the first time because that never seemed like important information for a kid to know. Looking back on things, I wonder how long it actually took them to develop their relationship. 

I do know that this man was at Tracy's and my 4th birthday party because he brought the cake and I know that was a big deal. It was a Bert and Ernie cake. I think that was when he officially won me over. Even as a young child I had known I was missing out on something, but I wasn't sure what it was until this man came into our lives. Once we celebrated our birthday, I knew I didn't want him to leave. He made me feel safe, like he could always be my protector. 

Later that year, I got my wish. My mom married this man and I got myself a "dad." They were married on October 18, 1987. I don’t remember exactly when, but sometime around that same time, our family moved about two hours south to live in a single wide trailer on the land where my new “dad” and his family lived and operated a dairy farm. The farm was called Sky Light Farms, Ltd., and seemed MASSIVE to me.  

I thought it was pretty cool to be living on an actual farm, somewhere with so many cows! Up until that point I couldn’t even remember seeing a cow up close. Granted, it was also kind of scary because cows are ENORMOUS (or at least they seemed that way to me at the time). However, the "coolness" of living on a farm was pretty short-lived. Not long after moving there we were forced to start working and putting in our time helping do all the chores associated with running a successful dairy farm. 

The downturn of our happy, carefree childhood had officially begun...