The lives of my children aren’t as easy as some kids out there. Yes, they have a very loving father who thinks they can (usually) do no wrong. And they have a step-mother who loves them, but can dish it out in the tough love format at times. My kids are responsible for daily and weekly chores. The thirteen year old empties the dishwasher everyday, folds laundry everyday and cleans her room and bathroom perfectly once a week. My six year old makes his bed every morning, cleans his room, dusts his bedroom furniture and television and sometimes helps out with the cleaning downstairs when I ask. They both help out with the dog and cat, letting Trooper out when he needs to do his business, and going out to pour food into the cat’s dish out on the deck when she’s hungry. They help out a lot and I think it’s important to their development into healthy and functioning adults. They may not like it when they have to clean, but I’m sure one day they’ll thank me for teaching them something they need to know.

I mention this, with emphasis on the first sentence I wrote up there, because I want to tell you about the weekend they spent with their mother. I picked them up yesterday around 4 and brought them home, but before that happened let me give you a little back ground.

I took the kids over to their mom’s apartment Saturday ’round three o’clock. My ex, FA, was due to be home soon after. She’d been in nursing school clinical’s all day. She got home as expected and I assumed she’d be taking the kids to do something fun during her 25 hours she’d be spending with them. Maybe to see a movie or perhaps to the pool. Well my daughter T called me last night around 9 pm just to check on how things were going. I asked her what all had been going on there and she informed me they’d gone to Target and to dinner and now her brother was watching television, she was on the computer, and her mother had gone to bed. I thought it was a little early for dear old mom to be hitting the sack when she hadn’t seen her kids in two weeks, but I didn’t let it bother me.

Fast forward to yesterday around two in the afternoon. I called my daughter’s cell to see what they were up to. She informed me that she was on the computer, her brother L was watching television, and their mother was in bed. I asked, “Oh, did she recently lay down for a nap?”

“No Dad, she’s still asleep from when she went to bed last night at nine o’clock.”

Yes folks…she hasn’t been with her kids (other than a couple hours on Mother’s Day) for over two weeks and she spent the whole time sleeping. I promptly told T I was on my way to pick up she and her brother and bring them home.

When I got there the ex was up and awake. She paid me the $400 she owed me in child support and I just shook my head thinking, how could anyone who had given birth to her own children care as little as she does about their happiness? The day will come, and it’s pretty much here for my 13 year old, when they will realize exactly what it is their mother is. Then they’ll not want to spend any time with her. It’s easy to see….I just can’t understand why it is she can’t see it.

So…Anyway….I thought I’d show y’all a couple pictures of my precious babies. This is my boy L on the soccer field. It was taken last Saturday during their last game. The Blue Devils finished the season 9-1-1. A pretty good record for a league where they don’t keep score. I like this picture, even though it’s terribly blurry, because you can see the total determination on his face. Every muscle in his legs are flexed, he’s ready to get in there and score that winning goal! It looks like both his feet aren’t even touching the ground. I’ve just noticed that his left hand looks deformed, but it isn’t!

Then here we have his sister. My beautiful daughter who is growing up before my eyes. She’ll be finished with the eighth grade in four days and will be moving on to the high school as a freshman. I can’t believe it! Susan and I have been pretty much raising this young woman by ourselves for four years. I’ve been there for her first kiss, and made her hold up a sign saying “My first kiss was (input date here).” Then took a picture. When she yelled from the upstairs bathroom that she’d gotten her period I was the one who sent my new wife up to give her the first pad, then later had her pose with a sign saying “I got my period on (insert date here).” I’m sure she hated posing for both of those pictures, but I’m sure she’ll appreciate it someday. I love these kids more than my life. I just can’t imagine giving birth, not seeing them but two or three times a month, then spending 17 hours out of 24 sleeping and missing out on all they have to say and do. I just thank God that He saw fit to allow me to have full custody.

Here’s a picture I took of my daughter T a little over a week ago. She was all excited about seeing her brother kick some soccer butt, and spending time with my sister, her aunt. Oh, and she was liking the swing.

Well folks, it’s Monday and I’m home again after being out of town pretty much for the past two weeks. Susan is out of town this week, in Atlanta, for her job. I reckon I’m somewhat of a bachelor till Thursday evening. Anyone want to come party with Chuckie?