Sports day blues

[InvisibilityCloakActivated]

Sports day at my children's school yesterday. There are separate sessions for all the different year groups, so I had to take a full day off work as one was in the morning and one in the afternoon. There was a mum's race and a dad's race for each session. I entered the mum's races and came 2nd in one and 2nd from last in the other (not a lot in it, we all made it over the line in pretty much the same couple of seconds). Afterwards my children were telling their grandad about it "Mummy was last... if daddy had run the dad's race, he would have been first".

Daddy, who didn't take any time off work for sports day, daddy who has never been to parents evening, sports day, school plays, bake sales or even stepped foot on your school grounds ever. Daddy who didn't even visit on your birthday, but sent a card 4 days late. Good old daddy.

Not sure why I'm posting. Just feeling a bit sad. Even when he isn't there, he is still winning in their minds. I guess he will never lose as he will never actually be in the race. I'm here, I'm turning up and so all they see is my failures (& I know it doesn't actually matter, but I didn't even lose the stupid race anyway! I got a sticker saying 2nd and everything!)

Anyone relate?

They will realises when their older and daddy let's them down once to often.

They're just young OP and want to feel their dad is great too. This is one way he coulda, woulda, shoulda been great and they'll take it. Or maybe he's the novelty Disney dad who is brilliant at buying them things for the five minutes they see him and they haven't quite seen through that yet.

Whatever the case there would be no question in any adults mind that you are the most important person in their lives, he might be what they want sometimes, but you're what they need - and they're lucky enough to be able to take for granted that you'll always be there and always love them no matter what they say.

That would sting me too but honestly, you were there and he wasn't.

You're the winner in my eyes

Yeah that would hurt me and sadly no not all kids do realise when they are older, speaking from experience..

Yep. I know how you feel.

But mainly I wanted to say you write very beautifully!

I know how you feel too. DS is all 'Daddy this' and 'Daddy that' but doesn't realise that his 'lovely Daddy' is living with another woman and her children who he looks after daily and hasn't actually set eyes on his own son since Christmas Eve. I hope, as he gets older that he realises that his dad is a twat, just as everyone else does.