Thanks to All Who Create the Sticky Moments
Sheri Lynn Fella
To all who father big and little kids, I thank you. Like all parenting that has a positive impact on another kid or adult, it is a unique kind of love, support, and influence. Now well into my 50’s my parents are still influencing and teaching me. They would tell you they “retired” as parents long ago – and rightly so haha, but I still pay attention to them – what they say, how they say it. I do the same with many others in their generation because I know that the kind of wisdom they have can only be developed through life experience, and they are far ahead of me on that.
Wisdom from the “Sticky” Life Experiences
Life experiences for me are still deeply important to my relational lens of the world – especially when those experiences are with my relatives, my immediate family. Recently, all but a few of us managed to finally go on our family vacation that was planned pre-COVID, and per usual we had several Fella-expected bumps in the road – rental van snafus, Airbnb glitches, etc. And as usual, we made them into fun memories – something my parents taught us, particularly my dad. And something my family, especially my brother, Brad, has fully embraced.
From Brad’s cannonballs that almost emptied the pool at the most surprising times to the dinosaur rides he gave his tiny granddaughter through the pool, he embraced the fun, the funny, the humor wherever he could find it. And that humor is contagious and sticky. It sticks with you in memories, in stories told and retold over the years – it leaves an imprint. Watching my brother with his kids and granddaughters this past vacation is also sticky for me. Witnessing how Dad’s wisdom and kindness and humor were also contagious as it played out in my brother’s parenting skills is something special. And it is an important reminder of the influence parental roles have in our lives – for good or not so good.
Celebrating the Work of Parenting
I am not much on Hallmark-driven holidays so I often underperform in the celebration of such. My hope is that my dad, brothers, and all dads and parents of influence in my life feel celebrated and loved throughout the year. Whether or not you have biological children or children at all – parenting is hard for all of us. Trying to positively influence, teach, support, and love those who need it is soul lifting and soul-breaking work for all parents – even though so many make it look effortless. This Father’s day I hope we celebrate all of those around us who father us, and may we all have lots of cannonballs and dinosaur rides to give our hearts a lift and give our storybook memories to be retold for years to come.
