Mi Papi Chulo

No, that's not a little boy...



My dad's the main man in my life. Even though I've always been more of a momma's girl-mainly because my mother and I were the only females in the house-through the years, my father and I have settled into a comfortable and close relationship.

My father's always been the silent and reserved type. His approach to raising my brothers and me was 'a child is meant to be seen but not heard'. We were never spoiled. We never had the latest trinkets but I don't ever remember feeling like I missed out on anything.

My father's intense appreciation of the simple things in life made us understand that material objects weren't significant. What mattered most were the moments spent with the family. We had a routine for Saturday mornings: wake up, Mom would make breakfast (everything homemade) and we'd all sit down to watch cartoons: The Smurfs, Woody Wood Pecker, The Ghostbusters, The Gummi Bears, The Snorks, etc, etc. My father would always be there with us. When we grew a little bit older, he'd play black and white movies so we'd understand what true comedy was: Abbott and Costello, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy...it was a work of fate that we all shared his same interests. We would happily sit down and laugh it up like there wasn't a care in the world.

My father's taste in music is something we have always shared. If you search through our collection of music, you're sure to find some Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkle, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Elton John, The Everly Brothers mixed in with the latest alternative, rap, and heavy metal hits. He's the main reason why my daughter now requests the Beatles whenever she gets on anyone's car. I've tried making her understand that not everyone listens to the Beatles. She has yet to understand that concept.

I'm sure my father thought he was done raising children when my brothers and I finally 'grew up'. Well, situations in life aren't always the way one wishes them to be and so, my father is now helping me raise my own daughter. Of course, it's not the same. My father was very strict and spoiling us was something he never did. With my daughter, it's a whole different story. When I was still living at home, my father would give her chocolate early in the morning just because she asked for it.  That sure as hell didn't work for me when I was little.

When my brothers and I see him with mija, we can't believe that he's the same man that murdered our swimming pool when we were ten (a story for another time). Just to pick on him, we'll ask him why he wasn't like this with us. He says that it's not the same because now he's the grandfather. My brothers have yet to accept that response.

My father is one of the greatest blessings in my life. He's the main reason why my brothers and I grew up correctly. When I was younger, I thought he was beyond strict, stingy, and aloof, but I now understand that he knew exactly what it was that we needed. I owe the person that I am now to my father's 'iron fist' way of parenting. If only my teenage self would've understood that, maybe my dad's hair would've still been black. Oops.

Oh and my father's the one to thank for my sarcasm and dry humor. He's the master when it comes to that. It's a riot when he and my brothers get together but no one is safe from their 'bullying'.

My father is, without a doubt, the best.