“This is my dad, mowing my mom’s lawn. They’ve been divorced 28 years.
My mom has bad knees, and my stepdad works out of town. When my younger siblings questioned, ‘Why is your dad mowing mom’s lawn?,’ I told them, ‘Because, she needed help, and he knew she couldn’t get out here to do it, so he did.’
This is co-parenting. This is how lucky I am to have 4 parents who respect each other, and know that at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is showing your children (Even ones that are 32 years old) how to treat people, and how to love your family, no matter how it came together.
My dad is with me in Texas on vacation. He doesn’t even live here where my mom lives. So not only did he do something selflessly for her, he did it for her while he was on his VACATION. He wants everyone to know, ‘I’m no saint.’ He just wants to show others that you don’t need to act like an angelic pastor on lent, but that we should all choose kindness whenever we can.
My dad said he didn’t do this for the recognition. He said my mom and he decided when they we going through their divorce they would both choose to be adults and treat each other with respect and compassion, because no matter how their marriage ended, they both loved each other very much at one point, and that, that love – counts for something. That if they were going to raise their children to be good, kind people, they needed to be good kind people.
I’m very fortunate to have such amazing parents. I know my moms and dads would do anything for each other, because we’re family. I’m very fortunate to have such amazing parents.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Codie LaChelle McPhate of Texas. Subscribe to our free email newsletter, Living Better—your ultimate guide for actionable insights, evidence backed advice, and captivating personal stories, propelling you forward to living a more fulfilling life.
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