“Was dad included in that list?”

“No your dad is number 6”

My son looks up at me with an expectant look on his face, it was as if he wasn’t forcing me to say it but was waiting for me to do it.

“Your dad is all of them rolled into one” I say with a deep breath.

“He is who I love the fantasy fairy tale romance that I always dreamed about. All the make believe facts about him are actually true.”

“He is what I love the relationship that is never forced, the true best friend”

“He is when I love he is the young lover that when we I get all old and grey with little grandchildren running around we will reminisce about us in the here and now”

“He is where I love, I would follow him to the other side of the world just to be with him”

“He is why I love because before him I never knew what I was looking for, he has given my past and future meaning”

“Your dad is the sixth he is the last”

I look at my son with the smile that many parents have when they are reminiscing with their children. Looking at my son I can see so much of his father in him. He and his father are pretty much exactly the same the fact he is exactly like a gentlemen just like his father. He was my first child, I had him at 26. I was still young and never had a child before, me and his father had been married about a year. We decided that we were ready to have a child but when we finally had him we realised just how unprepared we were.

We raised him the best way we knew how, and luckily for us it worked out well. We got help from his parents who have us advice and supported us in everything we did. By the time we had our second child we had become a bit more prepared and by the time the third came along we were old hands at raising kids, and when the forth came along it was second nature. Now at the age of 41 we decided that it properly wasn’t best to have anymore children.

We had raised four brilliant children, two boys and two girls. Mason was 15, Maden was 13, Mica was 8 and the maknae Mia was 5 ½. We had our little family and we were happy with it.

“Do you still love dad?” Mason asks finally drawing my attention from my own thoughts.

“Of course” I reply with a motherly smile. “I never thought this was possible but I think I love him more everyday. The only other people that occupy my heart are my four babies”

Mason stands up and gives me a big hug.

“Now go wash up for dinner and go make sure your brother and sisters have as well”

“Arasso umma” he replies stepping out of my arms. “but what about dad?”

“Dad will be home late today so you will see him tomorrow  before you go to school. He said he was going to drop you all off”

I watch as my son leaves calling for his younger siblings.  Thinking about the past wasn’t as painful as I expected it to be. Instead it allowed me to realise what I had today, how important my little family is. I would never forget the 5 people that taught me about love, they helped me find my soul mate.