The greatest thing a father can do for his children is love their mother

My children are the very reason I am making these changes in my life. As I mentioned in a previous post, I wanted to assure myself that my children would always have great things to say about me. One of my biggest fears for my children is that they will be hurt. There's nothing I can do to ensure that they will never be hurt. There will be people they befriend in their lives that will ultimately hurt them. Any parent should know this. Boyfriends, girlfriends, even best friends. Family may hurt them. Bosses and coworkers. The list is infinite. My goal is to try to set an example for them. Surely, my children will remember when I was a worthless drunk. I didn't give them the attention they needed and I realized that. It is not too late though. It is important to me that my children see the choices I make, the struggles I endure, the pain I have felt. They saw me at my lowest and they see me now. I cannot stress how important it is that they know what happened to me. Hopefully they can use my past as a lesson in their own lives when they get older and have to make decisions of their own. One of the biggest lessons I hope to teach them is how to love. In the movie Moulin Rouge, they repeat a line over and over throughout that simply states "The greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return". I believe this with all my heart. Times have changed and we definitely don't treat each other the way I believe we were meant to. Men are still the same, essentially. Macho. Women, however, are on to us. Women realized the power they possess. Women are stronger today than they ever were. At least that's the stance they are taking. This is because they are sick and tired of being treated like objects. Back in the day, men came-a-courtin'. When a woman chose you, that was a big deal. Did you know that virginity was once a sacred thing? Can you believe that such a notion existed in a world where we have shows like "Teen Mom" and "16 & Pregnant". It's true though. In fact, a woman's virginity was once so sacred that if you were engaged to a woman and she gave you her virginity and then you left her, she could sue you for breach of promise to marry. That is a fact. The man had now "tainted" the woman and now she was considered unpure and that wasn't a desirable trait according to a potential future suitor. That law was abolished in 1935. So now how could a woman protect herself from a broken engagement and a lower "market value" now that men didn't have to worry about being sued for a substantial amount of money? Ah, yes...the introduction of the engagement ring. Pony up, fellas. My wife didn't demand any such thing from me. In fact, her first engagement ring was a fake. She picked it out herself. She now has a real one, not that gaudy, but a diamond ring nonetheless. The point I was trying to get to is that we should learn to love harder, forgive often, endure rainy days together, bask in the sunshine, appreciate the small things and don't give up. I worked in a restaurant that catered mostly to senior citizens and nothing is more romantic to me than an old couple who has been through hell together and made it. It is the sweetest thing. I hope for a change in culture where we all start trying more and stop giving up. Women may seem strong these days but they are incredibly fragile. They are a delicate creature that long to be loved. They can be hurt so easily but they shouldn't have to be. A woman's love is a gift and I cherish my wife. She is amazing in every way. A man will never "choose" his wife. His wife will "choose" him and for that, we should be more thankful.