I love to tell the story of how Eric and I met. I was nineteen years old. I was sitting in an apartment building lobby, all dressed up for my interview. He came off the elevator, smiled his gorgeous smile, and said “hello.” My gaze followed him out the front door. If my interview went well and I got the job of Office Manager, I’d definitely find out his name.
Two months later, I sat at my desk waiting. A little birdie had told me he was going to ask me out. He came off the elevator again, waved, and walked out the front door. My heart sank. An hour later he came back through the front door, and into my office. He sipped his berry peach smoothie then asked if I’d like to go to dinner and a movie. My smile was bigger than his.
I knew early on while we were dating that Eric was going to be a wonderful father. His close friend had two children and Eric always paid attention to them and made them laugh. Eric was patient and easy going, two ingredients that go well with fatherhood. Years later, it took some convincing…okay a whole, whole lot of convincing and stomping of feet but finally Eric agreed to give fatherhood a try. Thank goodness because he is truly a remarkable dad.
Eric spends a tremendous amount of time with our kids. All of his evenings and weekends are devoted to Elle and Kai. He plays Wiz War, Ticket to Ride, computer games, video games, and builds Star Wars ships with Kai. They play guitar, bass, and drums together. They discuss books together and wrestle each other on the couch. They laugh at stupid movies together while I sit in amazement wondering what made it so funny. Every now and again Kai will spout off a phrase and sound exactly like Eric. While eating Eric’s delicious homemade potato chips, Kai suddenly says “good call dad.” (Eric phrase meaning…great idea)
Eric still insists on kissing and hugging his teenage daughter. Now, she scoffs at him, but one day she will look back fondly on the times he did his best to embarrass her with love. Eric runs races with Elle. He drives her to school every morning and they chat about life. He plays piano and guitar with Elle and he is always there to help her whether she needs her racing chair fixed or wants to learn how to cook a new dish. Cooking with mom is not pretty!
Another quality that makes Eric such a great dad is his unconditional acceptance (love) for his children. He completely accepts who they are without trying to make them into someone he thinks they should be. He is able to convey his love for them in a way that is non judgmental. He will guide them and teach them right from wrong but he has a gentleness about him that shows Elle and Kai his love even when they have made a mistake.
Perhaps one of the greatest qualities Eric has as a father is his pure joy and love for life. His smile is real. He believes in the power of being positive, enjoying every day, and reaching goals. These are lessons Elle and Kai will carry close with them through life.
I am blessed and our children are blessed to have such a wonderful man in our lives. Happy Father’s Day Eric!
K.D. Rausin 