I was raised by my mother. I saw my father maybe once a year.  I am not placing blame on either of my parents.  My father was in the army and moved often. My mother was not in the army and not interested in following him around the country.

Travel was expensive so I saw him when I could.  We talked on the phone and wrote often but I did not live with my father.  I did not grow up with any sort of true father figure. It is still hard for me to see the necessity in having a father around. There. I admitted it.

I grew up seeing my father once or twice a year.  Quite frankly, I am alive and well. I know that fathers are important. I know that they are nice to have. However, I never came to terms with a father being necessary.

I never realized how much these feelings affect the way I parent until I started working for Blissfully Domestic.  I never realized how little credit I passed on to Aiden’s father. I still saw him the same that I saw my father. After many talks with Sarah and listening to her side I saw how much some fathers long to be in their child’s life. I see the struggle some fathers make to be important to their child. I see Aiden’s father making that struggle. I have been trying to make a strong effort to let him be the father he wants to be.  This child of mine was created by both of us. As hard as it is to admit it sometimes, we are both necessary and important. I have been expecting respect without giving it.

How about you? Does the type of household you were raised in affect how you run your house?

Photo credit: Sharon Mollerus on Flickr