Happy Father's Day!
I got an unexpected honor this year...I don't have kids. When people ask me about it, I point out that having kids is not a one-man job, and I have yet to find a woman who'll put up with me (at least, one that hasn't immediately set off darn near every warning bell in my being with some behavior or other...)
But, in spite of that, my church congregation called me to work in the nursery, with kids aging 18 months to 3 years old. I'm sure to many people, it seemed really counterintuitive (and it was a big surprise to me, as well), but in spite of not having any kids of my own, I've got a lot of experience with nieces and nephews and friends' kids, so it really has been a good fit and I've enjoyed it immensely...
All of which is background to make sense of this story. I got home from work yesterday to find an envelope tucked in my front door. It was from the leadership of the congregation, acknowledging that while I have no children of my own, I've been a good example to the kids in the congregation (or, at least, I was when we were still meeting...thanks, Covid...) And, in that regard, they wanted to wish me a happy Fathers' Day. I feel more like an eccentric uncle to all these kids (and many others that I've associated with...I had one of my friends point me out to her youngest son on a Zoom call a few weeks ago as 'Uncle...<my name>', which immediately elicited a lot of humorous commentary from everyone else on the call who was NOT introduced as an uncle or aunt...
So, it's been an interesting year from that perspective. I'm not a dad...but I am, apparently, doing a pretty good job as an adult male role model, in spite of my many flaws...
(Of course, this all further complicated my emotional chaos over this weekend. Fathers' Day is extra-difficult for me, because not only has my dad passed on, but he died the Friday before Fathers' Day, several years ago. So there are a lot of emotional conflicts going on right now...)