By Cesar Cruz Jr.
Fatherhood is a role I always aim to be proficient at. As a dad to my eleven-year-old son, Matthew, I always look forward to spending time with this young Sheldon look-alike. We coined the time we spend together as 'DM' days, which stands for Daddy and Matthew days. Matthew never fails to charm me with the workings of his mind.
To illustrate, during one of our DM days, while my car was making its way up what seemed like a never-ending climb to the topmost floor of a mall parking garage, I turned to my son and said, “Hey, Matthew, look there, we are now higher than the Skyway. I think this ramp will lead us to heaven.” He gave me a serious look and uttered, “Why, Daddy? Is it our time already?” I was left dumbfounded and laughing.
When we had already bought movie tickets to Kung Fu Panda 4, he candidly said to me, “You must be so bored watching all these kiddie movies with me.” Then he ran off to pose beside those life-sized movie paraphernalia with gusto. Good thing I was quick with my phone camera to capture these precious moments.
As we were watching, I was barraged with never-ending questions regarding the movie that would make even Google buffer. I just placed my arm around him and kissed his head as an expression of amazement. After the movie, he gave me a sheepish grin and said, “Can we eat a hamburger?” Of course, I gave in to his request.
Driving back home, I shared with little Matthew, “You know, son, when I was growing up, my dad did the same thing with me.” My son turned to me and said, “Thanks, Daddy, for giving me good childhood memories. I love you, Daddy.”
I know I’m far from being a perfect father, and I try in my own way to be good. But this little boy makes me want to put out my A-game. Before he fell asleep in the backseat, he managed to say, “Hey, let’s go camping while I am on vacation.”
“Of course, we will, my son,” I said to myself.
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