As a Mom, not a dad, my opinion may be different. But I love this podcast, and I had to interject.
I had an amazing father. Amazing.he was so perfect and also so completely imperfect. his suicide last year, after raising 7 kids has been insanely challenging to my siblings myself, his grandkids, our entire very very large family. He drank, he quit, he drank again. It was his vice. But honestly, I feel more guilty than I think angry or resentful with him. We could have been better kids, or better for him, or loved him more, or appreciated his severe and sincere hard work and dedication to us. And as another thought to what David said about being in control of the vices we carry, I had someone who came to me after my dad died. He said something to me that I really never thought about before.
He told me the wages of sin is death. That drugs and alcohol are for death, and not life. You can't keep living forever with these vices and sins. The cost of them is death. It struck me so hard as a smoker, whose alcoholic father took his own life. It dawned on me in a strange way, I can't justify my cigarette for my life, it is a vice that will contribute ultimately to my own death.But it is my own vice. So my issue is this-am I justifying his alcoholism because I smoke. I am stealing my life from my own kids. This episode for dads, not moms, resonated. I am grateful for my current health. I am grateful for our jobs.I am grateful my child doesn't judge me for my vices.
I am grateful for this podcast.
And I will now be quitting smoking for my daughter. Because whether or not we admit it, cigarettes are much the same like suicide.I do not want that for J,A,A, or R our four awesome kids.
