Njengomama, umsebenzi katata unzima kwaye ngamanye amaxesha uyacaphukisa, ukhulisa abantwana. Nangona kunjalo, ngokungafaniyo noomama, ootata abadli ngokufumana ukuqatshelwa ngokwaneleyo ngendima yabo ebomini bethu.
Bangabongi, basasaza amahlaya amabi kwaye babulala izinambuzane. Ootata bayasikhuthaza xa sikwindawo ephezulu kwaye basifundisa indlela yokoyisa eyona ndawo iphantsi.
UTata wasifundisa indlela yokuphosa ibaseball okanye ukudlala ibhola ekhatywayo. Xa sasiqhuba, basizisele amatayara ethu agqabhukileyo kunye nezimbobo evenkileni kuba sasingazi ukuba sinetayara egqabhukileyo kwaye sasicinga ukuba kukho ingxaki kwivili lokuqhuba (uxolo, tata).
Ukubhiyozela uSuku looTata kulo nyaka, iGreeley Tribune inika imbeko kootata abahlukeneyo kuluntu lwethu ngokubalisa amabali namava ootata babo.
Sinotata oyintombazana, utata womthetho, utata ongatshatanga, utata owamthathayo, utata wesibini, utata womcimi-mlilo, utata omdala, utata oyinkwenkwe, kunye notata oselula.
Nangona wonke umntu engutata, wonke umntu unebali lakhe elikhethekileyo kunye nembono yakhe ngento abaninzi babo abayibiza ngokuba “ngumsebenzi ongcono kakhulu ehlabathini”.
Sifumene uluhlu oluninzi kakhulu malunga nale bali kuluntu, kwaye ngelishwa, asikwazanga ukubhala amagama ootata bonke. I-Tribune inethemba lokuguqula eli nqaku libe sisiganeko sonyaka ukuze sikwazi ukuxela amabali amaninzi ootata kuluntu lwethu. Ngoko ke nceda ubakhumbule aba tata kunyaka ozayo, kuba sifuna ukukwazi ukubalisa amabali abo.
Kangangeminyaka emininzi, uMike Peters wayesebenza njengentatheli yephephandaba ukuze axelele uluntu lwaseGreeley naseWeld County ngolwaphulo-mthetho, amapolisa, kunye nolunye ulwazi olubalulekileyo. Uyaqhubeka nokubhalela iTribune, wabelana ngeengcinga zakhe kwi-"Rough Trombone" rhoqo ngeMigqibelo, kwaye ubhala iingxelo zembali zekholamu ethi "100 Years Ago".
Nangona ukuba ngumntu odumileyo eluntwini kulungile kwiintatheli, kunokubacaphukisa abantwana babo.
“Ukuba akukho mntu uthi, ‘Owu, ungumntwana kaMike Peters,’ awunakuya ndawo,” wongeza uVanessa Peters-Leonard encumile. “Wonke umntu uyamazi utata. Kumnandi xa abantu bengamazi.”
UMick uthe: “Kufuneka ndisebenze notata amaxesha amaninzi, ndichithe ixesha ndisembindini wesixeko, ndize ndibuye xa kukhuselekile.” “Kufuneka ndidibane neqela labantu. Kumnandi. Utata ukwimidiya ukuba udibana nabantu abahlukahlukeneyo. Enye yezinto.”
Udumo oluhle lukaMike Peters njengentatheli lube nefuthe elikhulu kuMick noVanessa ekukhuleni kwabo.
“Ukuba kukho into endiyifundileyo kutata, luthando nokuthembeka,” ucacise watsho uVanessa. “Ukususela kumsebenzi wakhe ukuya kusapho lwakhe nabahlobo bakhe, nguye lo. Abantu bayamthemba ngenxa yokuthembeka kwakhe ekubhaleni, ubudlelwane bakhe nabantu, nokubaphatha ngendlela nabani na afuna ukuphathwa ngayo.”
UMick uthe umonde nokumamela abanye zezona zinto zimbini zibalulekileyo awazifunda kuyise.
“Kufuneka ube nomonde, kufuneka umamele,” utshilo uMick. “Ungomnye wabantu abanomonde kakhulu endibaziyo. Ndisafunda ukuba nomonde nokumamela. Kuthatha ubomi bonke, kodwa ukwazile ukukwenza.”
Enye into abantwana bakaPeter abayifundayo kuyise nakunina yinto eyenza umtshato nobudlelwane obuhle.
“Basenobuhlobo obuqinileyo, ubudlelwane obuqinileyo. Usayibhala iileta zothando kuye,” utshilo uVanessa. “Yinto encinci kakhulu, nokuba ndingumntu omdala, ndiyijonga ndize ndicinge ukuba le yindlela umtshato omele ube yiyo.”
Nokuba abantwana bakho bangakanani na, uya kuhlala ungumzali wabo, kodwa kusapho lakwaPeters, njengoko uVanessa noMick bekhula, olu lwalamano lufana nobuhlobo.
Ehleli esofeni ejonge uVanessa noMick, kulula ukubona iqhayiya, uthando kunye nentlonipho uMike Peters anayo ngabantwana bakhe ababini abadala kunye nabantu abaye baba ngabo.
“Sinosapho oluhle kakhulu kunye nosapho olunothando,” utshilo uMike Peters ngelizwi lakhe elithambileyo. “Ndiyazingca kakhulu ngabo.”
Nangona uVanessa noMick benokubhala izinto ezininzi abazifundileyo kuyise wabo kule minyaka idlulileyo, kubawo omtsha uTommy Dyer, abantwana bakhe ababini bangootitshala kwaye ungumfundi.
UTommy Dyer ungumnini-nye weBrix Brew and Tap. Ekwi-8th St. 813, uTommy Dyer nguyise weentombi ezimbini ezibhinqileyo—uLyon oneminyaka emi-3 ubudala onesiqingatha kunye noLucy oneenyanga ezisi-8 ubudala.
“Xa sasinonyana, saqala eli shishini, ngoko ndatyala imali eninzi kwi-spuop,” utshilo uDell. “Unyaka wokuqala wawunzima kakhulu. Kwathabatha ixesha elide ukuqhelana nokuba ngutata. Andizange ndizive ndingutata de kwazalwa (uLucy).”
Emva kokuba uDale efumene intombi yakhe encinci, imbono yakhe ngokuba ngutata yatshintsha. Xa kufikwa kuLucy, ukulwa kwakhe okunzima kunye nokuphosana noLyon yinto ayicinga kabini.
“Ndiziva ngathi ndingumkhuseli. Ndingathanda ukuba yindoda ebomini bakhe ngaphambi kokuba atshate,” utshilo ngelixa emanga intombi yakhe encinci.
Njengomzali wabantwana ababini abajongayo nabagxile kuyo yonke into, uDell wafunda ngokukhawuleza ukuba nomonde nokunikela ingqalelo kumazwi nakwizenzo zakhe.
“Yonke into encinci iyabachaphazela, ngoko ke kufuneka uqiniseke ukuba uthetha izinto ezilungileyo ezibangqongileyo,” utshilo uDell. “Ziziponji ezincinci, ngoko ke amazwi nezenzo zakho zibalulekile.”
Into enye uDyer ayithandayo kukubona indlela ubuntu bukaLeon noLucy obukhula ngayo nendlela abahluke ngayo.
“ULeon luhlobo lomntu ococekileyo, kwaye luhlobo lomntu ongcolileyo nomzimba wonke,” utshilo. “Kuhlekisa kakhulu.”
“Inyaniso kukuba, usebenza nzima,” utshilo. “Zininzi iintsuku endingekho ekhaya ngazo. Kodwa kulungile ukuba nexesha nabo kusasa kwaye silondoloze olu lungelelwano. Lo ngumzamo odibeneyo wendoda nomfazi, kwaye andinakukwazi ukwenza ngaphandle kwakhe.
Xa ebuzwa ukuba anganika abanye ootata abatsha icebiso, uDale wathi utata akangomntu onokumlungiselela. Kwenzeka ukuba "uhlengahlengise uze uqonde".
“Akukho ncwadi okanye nantoni na onokuyifunda,” utshilo. “Wonke umntu wahlukile kwaye uya kuba neemeko ezahlukeneyo. Ngoko ke icebiso lam kukuba uthembele kwiimvakalelo zakho kwaye ube nosapho nabahlobo ecaleni kwakho.”
Kunzima ukuba ngumzali. Oomama abangatshatanga banzima ngakumbi. Kodwa ukuba ngumzali ongatshatanga womntwana wesini esahlukileyo kunokuba ngomnye wemisebenzi enzima.
Umhlali waseGreeley uCory Hill kunye nentombi yakhe eneminyaka eli-12 ubudala u-Ariana bakwazile ukoyisa umngeni wokuba ngumzali ongatshatanga, ingasathethwa ke ngokuba ngutata wentombazana ongatshatanga. UHill wanikwa ilungelo lokugcina umntwana xa u-Ariane wayeneminyaka ephantse ibe mi-3 ubudala.
“Ndingutata osemncinci;” ndamzala xa ndandineminyaka engama-20 ubudala. Njengezibini ezininzi eziselula, besingazilolongi ngenxa yezizathu ezahlukeneyo,” ucacise watsho uHill. “Umama wakhe akekho kwindawo apho anokumnyamekela khona, ngoko ke kuyavakala ukuba ndimvumele asebenze ixesha elizeleyo. Kuhlala kunjalo.”
Uxanduva lokuba ngutata womntwana omncinci lwamnceda uHill ukuba akhule ngokukhawuleza, kwaye wayincoma intombi yakhe “ngokumgcina ethembekile kwaye ephaphile”.
“Ukuba bendingenalo olo xanduva, bendinokuqhubeka nobomi bam naye,” utshilo. “Ndicinga ukuba le yinto entle kwaye yintsikelelo kuthi sobabini.”
Ekubeni ekhulele kumnakwabo omnye kuphela kwaye engenadade onokumbhekisa kuye, uHill kufuneka afunde yonke into malunga nokukhulisa intombi yakhe eyedwa.
“Njengoko ekhula, yinto yokufunda. Ngoku usekwishumi elivisayo, kwaye kukho izinto ezininzi zentlalo endingaziyo ukuba ndiziphathe njani okanye ndiziphendule njani. Utshintsho lomzimba, kunye notshintsho lweemvakalelo esingazange silubone,” utshilo uHill encumile. “Eli lixesha lokuqala kuthi sobabini, kwaye lingenza izinto zibe ngcono. Andingomntu uchwephesha kweli candelo—kwaye andikaze ndithi ndinguye.”
Xa kuvela iingxaki ezifana nokuya exesheni, iibra kunye nezinye iingxaki ezinxulumene nabasetyhini, uHill no-Ariana basebenzisana ukuzisombulula, baphande iimveliso baze bathethe nabahlobo abangabasetyhini kunye nosapho.
“Unethamsanqa lokuba nootitshala ababalaseleyo kwisikolo samabanga aphantsi, kwaye yena kunye nohlobo lootitshala abanxibelelene ngokwenene bamfaka phantsi kokhuseleko lwabo kwaye bamnike indima yokuba ngumama,” utshilo uHill. “Ndicinga ukuba kuyanceda kakhulu. Ucinga ukuba kukho abafazi abamngqongileyo abanokufumana into endingenakukwazi ukuyinika.”
Eminye imingeni kaHill njengomzali ongatshatanga ibandakanya ukungakwazi ukuya naphi na ngaxeshanye, ukuba ngumntu othatha izigqibo kunye nomntu ogcina imali kuphela.
“Unyanzelekile ukuba wenze isigqibo sakho. Awunalo uluvo lwesibini lokumisa okanye lokunceda ekusombululeni le ngxaki,” utshilo uHill. “Kuhlala kunzima, kwaye kuya kwandisa uxinzelelo oluthile, kuba ukuba andinakukwazi ukukhulisa lo mntwana kakuhle, konke kuxhomekeke kum.”
UHill uza kunika abanye abazali abangatshatanga icebiso, ingakumbi abo tata bafumanisa ukuba bangabazali abangatshatanga, lokuba kufuneka ufumane indlela yokusombulula ingxaki kwaye uyenze inyathelo ngenyathelo.
“Xa ndandiqala ukufumana ilungelo lokugcina u-Ariana, ndandixakeke ngumsebenzi; ndandingenamali; kwafuneka ndiboleke imali yokuqesha indlu. Sasokola okwethutyana,” utshilo uHill. “Oku kuyaphambana. Bendingacingi ukuba singaphumelela okanye sifikelele apha, kodwa ngoku sinekhaya elihle, ishishini eliqhutywa kakuhle. Kuyaphambana ukuba unamandla angakanani xa ungaqondi. Phezulu.”
Ehleli kwindawo yokutyela yosapho iBricktop Grill, uAnderson wancuma, nangona amehlo akhe ayezele ziinyembezi, xa eqala ukuthetha ngoKelsey.
“Utata wam ondizalayo akakho ebomini bam konke konke. Akafowuni; akajongi, akukho nto, ngoko andimthathi njengotata,” utshilo uAnderson. “Xa ndandineminyaka emi-3 ubudala, ndambuza uKelsey ukuba uzimisele na ukuba ngutata wam, waza wathi ewe. Wenza izinto ezininzi. Wayesoloko ehleli ecaleni kwakhe, nto leyo ibaluleke kakhulu kum.”
“Kwisikolo samabanga aphakathi kunye nonyaka wam wokuqala nowesibini, wayethetha nam ngesikolo kunye nokubaluleka kwesikolo,” utshilo. “Ndandicinga ukuba ufuna nje ukundikhulisa, kodwa ndakufunda emva kokungaphumeleli kwiiklasi ezimbalwa.”
Nangona uAnderson wayethatha iiklasi kwi-intanethi ngenxa yobhubhane, wakhumbula ukuba uKelsey wamcela ukuba avuke kwangethuba ukuze alungiselele isikolo, ngokungathi wayesiya eklasini ngokwakhe.
“Kukho ishedyuli epheleleyo, ukuze sikwazi ukugqiba umsebenzi wesikolo size sihlale sikhuthazekile,” utshilo uAnderson.