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TODD'STWINTALK:FATHER'SARRIVALHOME
MEANSLOVEFOREVERYONE
on Thursday, 04 April 2013. Posted in Family
BY TODD NATENBERG
It is 5:30 p.m. on an ordinary Tuesday. I’m arriving home from a long day of work- having conducted
various meetings and done much computer work of e-mail correspondence and internet research at the
local Starbucks. I’m in transition looking for a full-time sales position. The job of looking for a job is
exhausting- mentally and physically.
2. As I pull into the garage, though, my worries subside. I turn off the ignition and all my problems will go
away in a moment. I open my window – a ritual before I exit the car, so not to miss a sound.
As I gather my personal items- my laptop computer, phone and wallet- and some groceries for the
family, I hear the rumblings through the other side of the garage door. A huge smile spreads across my
face.
“Dada home?” I hear my precious, nearly 2 ½-year-old son, Ari say to my wife, Reena.
“Yes! Daddy’s home!” my wife responds through the door.
I open the door and there they are: my Ari and Teddy.
Ari greets me with a huge hug and is jumping up and down. “Dada! Dada! Dada!” he exclaims out of
excitement. When I reach down to pick him up, his enthusiasm to go play almost doesn’t allow me to hug
him. But I do.
“Oh, I missed you,” I tell him through kisses, although it has literally only been since the morning when I
took him to day care. “How much does Daddy love you? How much does Daddy love you? More than
anything!” I remind him.
In the corner, though, his little brother Teddy has burst into tears and is crying uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong Little Buddy Teddy?” I ask as I’m holding Ari. “Come over here. Let me hug you.”
Reena explains that he is upset because Ari greeted me first and he missed out on the first hug. I walk
over to him and pick him up, now holding both my sons. He hugs back, but is still crying.
“Do you want me to go back out and come back home again?” I ask.
“Yeah!” he says, with the most adorable tears of happiness and sadness.
I put Ari down. He walks over to Mommy, waiting to play with Daddy. I explain I will be back in a
moment and to let Teddy greet me this time. I walk out into the garage to return moments later. I knock
on the door. I open it and there he is: my Teddy Bear.
“Dada! Dada! Dada!” Teddy says with nothing but an amazing grin across his face. “Dada hold me. Dada
hold me!”
Now, and forever.
Todd B. Natenberg can be reached at Todd@ToddNatenberg.com . Visit www.ijustgotajobinsales.com for
more information.
