Daddy

The first man I loved was my father, he was big and strong; he would carry me in his arms when the floor was dirty and scare away the monsters under my bed. He used to sing to me, keep me safe and explained the world to me. He's gone now, but I can still feel his love and his arms protecting me from harm; when the time came and he got sick, I sang to him, kept him safe and scared the monsters under his bed, held his hand when he needed me the most and made sure, without the need for words that he felt and knew how much I loved him, without any room for doubt, as he deserved nothing less.

The last week he was in the hospital, he would still flirt up a storm with the nurses, which made him very popular; due to RL constrains I could not visit him as much as I would have liked, most likely because a part of me refused to believe he'd be gone soon. My father was very self aware about his looks -he was a very handsome man, even in his old age- but refused to be shaved by anyone on the floor, he wanted me to be there and do it for him -and like I said it took me a few days to make it to the hospital-. When I finally made it, I was the one to shave him after quite a few days; he died the next day.

I have spent most of my adult life, and more so now that I have kids, making sure I get to be at least half the father mine was, and quite inevitably something that you fight most of your young life so it won't happen, I have seen more and more of my father in me -which is never a bad thing when you had the father I have- and strange as it may sound, I have honored his memory by passing onto my SL sons what he taught me, trying to make of them better men -so there is also a bit of my father in them too-. Zachy the people magnet, the one everyone instantly loves and asks for when he's not around and Skylar, the strong silent type who lives to do right by others.

I do not know what the future holds for me, but for what is worth I am happy that life -and more so SL- gave me a chance to experience parenting first hand, unlike RL, those who become parents do so on their own choosing and after having given this some thought. To all of those SL fathers out there and even the great examples to follow in RL of loving dedicated parents, I wish you all a happy father's day.

It takes an average man to make a child, it takes a great man to make that child a good man. I can only hope I am half the dad mine was.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Thank you Papa

When father's day was initially suggested and coined, many people laughed at the concept finding the need of such celebration simply pointless; after all, fathers had always been the providers and patriarchs of most families world-wide, so the recognition was already there, why add another holiday to something that for most people was already obvious?

I can't speak on everyone's behalf, but the person that I am in RL and SL is largely due to my father's influence; I would most likely not be half the man and father I am now if it hadn't been for him. My dad was not an educated man, he didn't have any fancy degrees or education to brag about but I've always considered him a very wise man.

One of the things that Second life as a lifestyle / platform has enabled me to do, is to experience parenting first hand and hopefully honor his memory, by passing on to my sons most of what I learned from him about life and how to be a decent man with strong ethics; my father was truly the first man I loved, there's not a day I don't miss talking to him, but I do have all of the times we spent together and I know for sure that when I am having quality time with Skylar or lecturing Seymour about things he's forgotten to do, I have the certainty that he's standing by my side smiling, shaking his head and most likely saying "you were a lot worse"

I love you and miss you Papa, I wish you were here to see the man and father Spike has become. Happy father's day to all of the RL and SL fathers out there, make it a good one!

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls