Week of Fathers

I know that this Sunday is Mother's day and that is probably all you are hearing about lately, but this week has been filled with Fathers.

Let me first start by giving you a little background info on the status of fathers in this house. Kelden and his father have a rocky relationship, although he does get to see his dad more often then the other two boys. Kelden has both a father and a mother who take care of him, they just weren't sending him to school, so we took him with us so that he could get an education. Before he ever came, he and his father said to us that they don't like each other, and the way that Kelden talks to his dad is so horrible. Although they do have some sort of relationship and it does seem that his dad tries to care for Kelden the best he can.

Then there is Pema and Dawa. Their mother committed suicide when they were young, and their dad is a drunkard. For the most part he has been pretty negligent and not much a part of their lives. I think that it has been 3 years since Dawa had seen his dad, and I am not sure how long it had been for Pema. Right now their dad is living in Sikkim with someone else's wife, so he cannot return to their village.

Anyway, so there is the story in brief. Saturday we get a call from Kelden's dad saying that he is coming to visit on Sunday. Odd...it isn't like him to just want to come and see his son. What is going on? Turns out that he wanted to come and take Kelden because he doesn't like the school that we switched him to, only to find out once he got here that we are trying to switch the boys back to Graham's homes. He said he was just going to take him back to the village to help his mom. We are not sure if it was a manipulation move or what. Then he requested that we take Kelden with us to where we are moving. Not possible... Then he wanted to know if we have a sponsor that can help get him to the US. Hmmmm....if it wasn't for the fact that we love Kelden, we would have told him to take his son and go. (well, and for the fact that maybe that wouldn't be the best way to respond)
So, he stayed one night and then the next day Pema and Dawa's dad came. We have been calling him and trying to get ahold of him to get Pema and Dawa's birth certificate and things in order. So finally after about a year, he came to help with that and we have that taken care of. It was strange to see the two different boys interact with their dad. Pema, the older one, seems to be a little bitter towards him, so didn't show much interest, but Dawa on the other hand, seemed very happy to see him, and even slept in his bed with him that night. (a very cultural thing to do and the same thing Kelden had done with his dad the night before) He left the next day and says he will come back to see the boys once he has found work. Hopefully it's true and he will try to be a little bit a part of their lives.

Then there is my dear old dad! He comes tomorrow and I am SO excited! I will keep you posted on that. But seeing these other relationships really makes me thankful of the dad that I was blessed with. I couldn't have asked for one better!