The Cats in the Cradle

[revkev]

Remember the old Harry Chapin song?  I'm living it with my son John, the one in the Navy.  Here's the back story.

 

I was still living in Connecticut and preparing for Seminary when he was born so I quit my job to study and stay home with him while my wife worked for several months prior to moving to Indiana.  We have always been incredibly connected no doubt because of that.  He grew up playing catch with me in the back yard and golf with me on Sundays after church. 

 

The day he went off the college was one of the saddest in my life, I had to park in the middle of the bridge across Tampa Bay because I was crying so hard.  The Navy was much better because after basic training he has been stationed close enough to us to visit frequently and when he's out to sea, he's out to sea for about four months. 

 

I've done what any good parent should do and backed off as he's gotten married and had children.  I'm very proud of him and we certainly grab a little time together here or there, a round of golf, a shot and a beer at the base pub or on the back porch at my house.  He named his son after me, holding the baby in my arms and baptizing him was one of the happiest moments of my life.

 

So here's my Cats in the Cradle moment - John is closing on his first house at 1 this afternoon.  Where do the years go?  How did we get from learning to throw a curve or hit a draw to buying a house?  Whenever he decides to come out of the Navy he will almost instantly be making more money than me - his Navy job is highly skilled and technical - that will be the next Cat's in the Cradle moment I suppose.  For now though we have he and his family within arms reach (4 hour drive) for the next three years.

[jaskanski]

I feel for you. 

My early life was rather similar (but different) - my father was in the Royal Navy and I didn't spend much time with him during my youth due to him being deployed all over the globe.

It hit home last year when he sadly passed away and you got to thinking about how much time we actually spent together - which wasn't a lot really. I inherited his watch, which is a poignant reminder that life is too short to be honest. 

I guess what I (and Harry Chapin) are trying to say is cherish the time you have. It goes by all too quickly.

[Dhuck Whooker]

My sons are now 20 and 18. For the last fifteen years there was the endless travel soccer and swimming meets squeezed in between 50 hour work weeks.

 

Then in a flash it is over. I thought I had a bad toothache all of that time and really what it was a warm hug.

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Saw a thing on Facebook a while ago that said the best thing and the hardest thing about being a parent are the same thing - watching your kids grow up.

 

Rev, gotta call you on the Cats in the Cradle thing -- when Chapin sang "My boy was just like me," it wasn't a pleasant discovery.  We've never met, but I gotta think if your boy is anything like you, we could call it Parenting Done Right.

 

Hope you make it through it all okay -- you know better than most, to everything there is a season....

[fozcycle]

Rev, I agree with Barbajo.......the song is a great reference point as none of us want to be the guy in the song.....we want to stay connected with our kids. As I am now staring retirement in the face, I think back at my Grandfather and also my Father, when they began retirement. They both retired at 60, for different reasons. My Grandfather was an engineer and at 60, his company closed leaving him without a pension. My Father, at 60, had a heart attack, forcing early retirement. I am 65, and have worked longer than both of them. I am physically in better shape than they were at my age. Hoping to spend more time with my kids and grandkids.