The Parental Unit

So we have in my fambam what we call “the parental unit.”

aka “the rentals.”

aka “the ‘rents.”

Depending on the day of the month, hehehe.

It’s really simple.

Daddy does the money stuff, Mommy does the empathy stuff.

I know. Shockingly trad.

Somewhere around Christmas, Wolf Cub Number Two started lecturing me about handling the parental unit in regards to dating, and I informed her she was being patronizing.

“Patronizing” is my favorite word for someone informing me of something I already know, which is…most things…because I happen to have a lot tucked into my noggin.

I’ve been handling the parents since I was 17. Because when you want to divide and conquer…

So my choice of college went like this…

Three years of high school: I will never go to college!!!

Then I was dragged along with Sister-in-law Two to visit her alma mater GFU. We toured the campus, I met the director of the honors program (Dr. Favale) with no idea what the honors program was, and sat in on an honors class.

And I fell in love.

I came home bubbling over to my mom about the campus, the kind people, the class, the food…

Because I could just see it. I wanted to go there.

This was the second love of my life. My mom said later she saw my eyes light up for the first time in years.

The first love was stories, via Laura Ingalls Wilder.

But after an intense four years of classical education and learning everything about Christianity, I visited GFU and heard The Iliad come alive.

The seminar class was discussing an ancient text with interest.

And I was like — No language requirement or higher math required? Sitting around talking about books all day? Sign me up!!!

At the time, everyone said you had to apply to at least three schools. So I went and applied to three, and said, Hey look Dad, GFU is the cheapest.

I didn’t want to go to a college. I wanted this college.

It was perfect because it was Christian, close to home so I could watch my nieces and nephews grow, and had the honors program.

So then I did all the Greeks and Romans again until I burnt out.

Fast forward a few years (2022) and I fell in love with God. My first, last, and primary love.

So now it just strikes me…

Money and empathy?

God does both. Through everything.