Daddy's Child

I love my father. More than that, I like him and I have a good relationship with him.
It seems that this is a rare statement to be heard among gay men.

The other day I was having car troubles (actually I still am *sad face*) and my dad agreed to help take a look at it. After looking it over for a couple of hours we gave up. We put the tools away and went inside. When we got inside I saw him smiling. After such frustrating work on my car, that yielded no results, in the AZ 105 degree heat, I saw little to smile over. I finally got frustrated and asked, "What are you so smirking about?"
His smile just got bigger and he said, "I just like you a lot."
I forgot about my irritation with my car. Too often I feel like I have just been one big disappointment to my parents, so hearing things like that send me into shock.
In spite of everything, my dad is still proud of me.

I fully expect that my kids will give me just as much grief that I've put my parents through. I want to raise my kids to be better than me however. I think that is every parent's hope though. I will encourage them to set high goals and standards for themselves, and reach them.
Obviously I do not expect, or even hope for, perfection from my children. My past/present decisions will help me to have understanding and compassion for my children no matter what.
I don't worry too much about it though. I feel like open communication is key to any relationship. My children will be smart individuals with parents that are involved in their lives.

Fathers that LOVE and ACCEPT them so matter what.