Superman Dad

I take pride in the fact that I am not a "complainer" wife. I try not to unload all the woes of motherhood on Lamon when he comes home from work, and I don't ask to take breaks from being a mom . . . MOST of the time. But I do admit that there have been a handful of times when I've just needed some "me time."
The first time I took some time off was when Drew was a year old. I explained to Lamon that I needed a little bit of a break and I would come back a better, happier, more pleasant wife if he would just let me go to BYU Education Week. I had never gotten away for any reason since I had had Drew and that is all I wanted. Well being the wonderful man that Lamon is he agreed and arranged his schedule at work to make my education week getaway happen. I was stoked. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have a whole week to meditate and think . . . it was going to be blissful! It seemed like I hadn't had a thought to myself for like a year. So I went, and it was pretty much everything I had hoped for. But by the end of the week I had had enough "thinking time" and was excited to get back home to Lamon and Drew. On the way back home I had some terrible thoughts. I started to imagine to myself all of the struggles that Lamon must have endured throughout the week. I kept thinking that he must have gotten a dose of what it was like to be a Mom and he certainly must have struggled! Boy was he going to appreciate me more! I imagined coming home to him being frazzled and handing me Drew saying something like, "I don't know how you do it!" And I was kind of looking forward to that. . . But it didn't really go down that way. I walked in to a smiling Drew and a smiling Lamon! Probably because he was so happy that I was home to take over mother duties, surely. I gave him a hug, smiled at him and asked, "So . . . how was it?" I waited for him to lay the struggles before me, but instead he said, "Great!"
"Liar! You're meaning to say that you didn't have a hard time without me?"
And then he said, "No . . . I'm superman."
So while I spent my week feeling bad that Lamon was at home having a hard time, he was actually out taking Drew on various adventures including trips up into the mountains.
There was another time more recently that I had endured a long hard couple of days. Lamon had gone fishing or something in the morning and the kids were on one. When he got back I was frustrated and I told him I was leaving him with the kids, and having a little break. I had about an hour and a half until Drew had to be picked up from school . Well, when I was on my way home from "my break" I realized I was a little late. Oh boy was Lamon going to be mad!!! I left him with whiny kids and now I was going to be late to pick up Drew. So I was about a few blocks from our house and here came Lamon down the street pulling the bike trailer with Ada and Hayden inside on his way to pick up Drew. There was no fumes coming out of Lamon's head, but instead he just smiled and waved at me as we passed each other. And that's Lamon. There are times I wonder if he really is Superman. It's been kind of an inside joke with us since that first time. Anytime Lamon takes all the kids somewhere by himself whether it be on errands or on an outing I will often mention the fact that he is Superman. He loves to be with his kids. All the years that Lamon was in school he worked full time, went to school full time, was a scout master, did multiple racing events . . . but somehow almost every single moment he had free he spent with us. He hasn't "gone out with the guys" or veggitated in front of the t.v. As soon as he was done with work he would come straight home and switch to Father mode. Whether it was playing with the kids or helping me at home . . . he is one of a kind. I am one lucky woman. I feel so priviledged to be "yoked" in parenthood with such a man. Happy Father's Day Lamon. You are one amazing Dad. You are Superman.