In a previous, I briefly described how a Fire Dad benefits from a job in the fire service. I am going to focus specifically on the time benefit that is afforded based upon our schedule. While there are different schedules that exist in the fire service depending on what department that you work for my current schedule is the 24/48. For those non-fire people, that means I work for 24 hours and am at home for 48 hours. This schedule can provide so many benefits but can have its hardships as well.
That means that I miss 24 hours of my kids lives every three days. This is a full day that I do not get back. Some famous person once said, “The one thing that you cannot make more of is time.” That time, that 24 hours I am at the fire station, I cannot give them hugs, help them with their homework, do art projects, participate in school centers, etc. These are important activities to share with them. There are so many things that are missed and at times it can be rough even on the toughest of characters. Okay…..weak moment…If you plan on laughing please skip a couple paragraphs down. I warned you!
One of my most cherished possessions is a very simple and free gift that Mia gave me many years ago. It did not cost her a dime to make and puts a smile on my face and sometimes add a tear to my eye. It is less than 30 seconds in length but can be keep indefinitely. Guesses? A voicemail! Yes, a voicemail is one of my most cherished possessions that I listen too a regular basis.
Set the scene: Mary called from her phone while I was working. Unfortunately, I was not able to answer. I saw that I had a voicemail and I had a guess at who might have left it considering it was about the time that Mia went to bed. It was August 13, 2013 at 7:26pm. The voicemail was only 12 seconds long. I listened to the voicemail when I was able to back at the station. Mia was simple and to the point. With her best ability she quietly spoke and said
Hi Daddy. Goodnight. See you Tomorrrow. Bye
That’s all it took. The tears started to well up in my eyes. A call got in the way of me saying goodnight to Mia and Milana. I’m sure they did not understand that Daddy was on a call and unable to talk to them. Unfortunately, they were already asleep when I called back so I missed that goodnight wish. It is rough when you miss something special like that. That being said, I think it is important to say goodnight to them when I am at the firehouse.
One recent issue that I have faced is from Mia. She now calls me directly from our house phone when it gets close to bedtime or when Mommy is in trouble. She makes it rough when shes says that she wants me home so we can cuddle or that I need to carry her to bed. There is nothing that I want more than to drop everything and be there with the girls. While she can ramp up with bad behavior at this point (crying and giving Mary a hard time). I keep talking to her to try and get her ready for restful sleep. She really can be a PITA if she does not get all her sleep.
I think with them getting older, their desire to hang out with dear ole’ Fire Dad will diminish as they will start having 1000’s of different activities and friends that will capitalize on their time. Right now, Mia is in school til 3pm. Milana and Bella attend Zion and go all day on certain days and only til 11 on others. They will transition to full day school in the next two years. Who knows, I might get to the point of paying people to take them out so I can have alone time. Nah for now….I’ll deal with the little monsters and try and spend as much time as I can with them….I cannot get these moments back!