Two Dads Mean Double the Love

By Courtney, 15, sophomore

I’m a daddy’s girl.

I’m not going to lie; I was a little bit of a brat when I was younger. When my mom didn’t want to get me something or didn’t want to talk about what I wanted, I whined and whined to my stepfather until I got my way.

Trust me, if I didn’t get it from my stepfather, I would call my father, who lives in Mississippi, and say, “Daddy, do you think you could buy me a new dress for this party I’m going to?” Within a week, I’d have a box sitting at my front door with two new dresses folded inside with the receipt.

I call my father and stepfather “daddy,” but they are radically different. My stepfather is all about sports. Anything that has to do with sports, he would be there. On the other hand, my father is all about school. He checks my grades every week and calls when he sees something wrong. I know that I’m lucky because most kids don’t have two dads.

Both of my fathers knew that I was a tomboy. They took me fishing and bandaged my scrapes from playing football with the guys at school when I was growing up. Although my stepfather came into my life when I was 8, he has had a very big influence on me. Every volleyball game and basketball game, he was there. Even if it meant that he had to drive from Homestead, Fla., to Atlanta, Ga., he did it.

My stepfather puts on a macho man act, but he is honestly a big softie. He tries to encourage me by continuously cheering me on even when I fail miserably. When I was playing a basketball game against our rival team and we lost, he told me to believe in myself. The next time we played them I had so much confidence that I was able to help lead our team to victory.

Many people are surprised when they hear that he isn’t my biological father. He filled the spot after my parents ended their relationship. My father and stepfather are my biggest cheerleaders and protectors. They have no animosity toward each other and are good friends. I think they work together to make sure that I grow up in an environment where I don’t hate my parents. They know that I have enough stress being a teenager. They would go out of their way to take care of my baby sister, Caitlyn, and me. I hope that when I’m older I will be able to do what my dads do for me.

Every day, my stepfather sacrifices the time he could have sleeping in to take me to school. He also takes me to practice and games. My father works as hard as he can to pay for school and sports activities. He tries to make me work to my fullest to become the greatest person I could ever be. My stepfather taught me how to drive and promote confidence in others. I don’t say thank you as much as I should, but I know they feel the love I have for them. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there who are superheroes just like my fathers!

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