An Ode to My Step-Dad

Thanks for being there for me forever.

I’m not going to lie, it’s hard to write this piece.

Growing up, my step-father has been there my whole life and has also been my father. I always told my friends that I have two dads, you just got to see one of them.

The reason why it’s hard for me to write this piece despite Benji — or should I say, “Coach”, as that’s what I’ve called him since I was four years-old — being the best father is due to politics. Truth be told, I don’t know who reads this blog from my family.

But I don’t give a fuck, because it’s my blog. Free speech, motherfuckers!

I met Coach when I was four years-old. He was twenty-nine at the time when he first started dating my mom. They met each other at the same school as they were both teachers there. My mom was a fourth grade teacher, my step-father was the P.E. coach. Hence the term “Coach”. And no, this is not a script from a rom-com.

One of the earliest interactions we collectively remember of me with my step-dad was when we went to the park, he picked me up, and I farted on him. I think my mom told him “welcome to the family.” What a mensch for dealing with my shit (all pun intended).

Since that moment of flatulence, Coach has been there from my earliest memories. We would see him all the time and eventually he moved in with us.

It was every little kid’s dream: he was the one who played video games, basketball, and football with us. Even more so, he would be there for every optimist practice and game in our lives. Sometimes we joke that he’s one of the kids because he’s so competitive and into games, especially video games.

He was also the one that disciplined me on school. Although my mom was a teacher, it was Coach who always held me accountable for not having my shit together in school. The term “Jupiter Grades” shall be tattooed on my forehead forever.

Like every child, I tend to forget to appreciate what my parents have done for me. It’s easy to get pissed at something that you disagree with them on, it’s even harder to appreciate them. That’s because, until I become a parent, I will truly never know how much sacrifice my mom and Coach have made in their lives.

Coach is one of the most selfless human beings in the world. There was never a time that he was not there for me.

To think that he joined our family when he was twenty-nine — an age that only is seven years to my senior — is something. I can’t imagine being wedded at twenty-nine.

Although my mom and Coach wouldn’t marry until I was in the fourth grade, he was still my step-dad from the day that I met him. Actions speak louder than words, regardless of what laws say.

Thanks for being the most selfless parent in the world, Coach. Thanks for being there for me when others were not. I love you!