Like mom, dad’s job is arduous and sometimes even frustrating, raising children. However, unlike moms, dads usually don’t get enough recognition for their role in our lives.
They are givers of hugs, spreaders of bad jokes and killers of bugs. Dads cheer for us at our highest point and teach us how to overcome the lowest point.
Dad taught us how to throw baseball or play football. When we drove, they brought our flat tires and dents to the store because we didn’t know we had a flat tire and just thought there was a problem with the steering wheel (sorry, dad).
To celebrate Father’s Day this year, Greeley Tribune pays tribute to the various fathers in our community by telling their father’s stories and experiences.
We have a girl dad, a law enforcement dad, a single dad, an adoptive dad, a stepfather, a firefighter dad, a grown-up dad, a boy dad, and a young dad.
Although everyone is a dad, everyone has their own unique story and perception of what many of them call “the best job in the world”.
We received too many lists about this story from the community, and unfortunately, we were unable to write the name of every father. The Tribune hopes to turn this article into an annual event so that we can report more stories of father in our community. So please remember these fathers next year, because we want to be able to tell their stories.
For many years, Mike Peters served as a reporter for the newspaper to inform Greeley and Weld County communities of crime, police, and other important information. He continues to write for the Tribune, shares his thoughts in the “Rough Trombone” every Saturday, and writes historical reports for the “100 Years Ago” column.
Although being famous in the community is great for journalists, it can be a bit annoying for their children.
“If no one says,’Oh, you are Mike Peters’ child,’ you can’t go anywhere,” Vanessa Peters-Leonard added with a smile. “Everyone knows my father. It’s great when people don’t know him.”
Mick said: “I have to work with dad many times, hang out in the city center, and come back when it’s safe.” “I have to meet a group of people. It’s fun. Dad is in the media that he meets all kinds of people. One of the things.”
Mike Peters’ excellent reputation as a journalist had a significant impact on Mick and Vanessa in their growth.
“If I have learned anything from my father, it is love and integrity,” Vanessa explained. “From his work to his family and friends, this is him. People trust him because of his writing integrity, his relationship with people, and treating them in a way that anyone wants to be treated.”
Mick said that patience and listening to others are the two most important things he learned from his father.
“You have to be patient, you have to listen,” Mick said. “He is one of the most patient people I know. I am still learning to be patient and listening. It takes a lifetime, but he has mastered it.”
Another thing Peters’ children learned from their father and their mother is what makes a good marriage and relationship.
“They still have a very strong friendship, a very strong relationship. He still writes love letters to her,” Vanessa said. “It’s such a small thing, even as an adult, I look at it and think this is what marriage should be like.”
No matter how old your children are, you will always be their parents, but for the Peters family, as Vanessa and Mick grow up, this relationship is more like a friendship.
Sitting on the sofa and looking at Vanessa and Mick, it is easy to see the pride, love and respect Mike Peters has for his two adult children and the people they have become.
“We have a wonderful family and a loving family,” Mike Peters said in his trademark soft voice. “I am extremely proud of them.”
Although Vanessa and Mick can list dozens of things they have learned from their father over the years, for the new father Tommy Dyer, his two children are teachers and he is a student.
Tommy Dyer is the co-owner of Brix Brew and Tap. Located at 8th St. 813, Tommy Dyer is the father of two blonde beauties-3 1/2-year-old Lyon and 8-month-old Lucy.
“When we had a son, we also started this business, so I invested a lot in one fell swoop,” Dell said. “The first year was very stressful. It really took a long time to just adjust to my fatherhood. I didn’t really feel like a father until (Lucy) was born.”
After Dale had his young daughter, his views on fatherhood changed. When it comes to Lucy, his rough wrestling and tossing with Lyon is something he thinks twice about.
“I feel more like a protector. I hope to be the man in her life before she gets married,” he said while hugging his little daughter.
As the parent of two children who are observing and immersed in everything, Dell quickly learned to be patient and pay attention to his words and deeds.
“Every little thing affects them, so you have to make sure to say the right things around them,” Dell said. “They are little sponges, so your words and deeds are important.”
One thing Dyer really likes to see is how Leon and Lucy’s personalities develop and how different they are.
“Leon is the kind of neat person, and she is the kind of messy, full-body person,” he said. “It’s so funny.”
“Honestly, she works hard,” he said. “There are many nights when I am not at home. But it is good to have time with them in the morning and maintain this balance. This is the joint effort of the husband and wife, and I cannot do it without her.
When asked what advice he would give other new dads, Dale said that dad is really not something you can prepare. It happened, you “adjust and figure it out”.
“There is no book or anything you can read,” he said. “Everyone is different and will have different situations. So my advice is to trust your instincts and have family and friends by your side.”
It’s hard to be a parent. Single mothers are more difficult. But being a single parent of a child of the opposite sex can be one of the hardest jobs.
Greeley resident Cory Hill and his 12-year-old daughter Ariana have managed to overcome the challenge of becoming a single parent, let alone becoming a single father of a girl. Hill was granted custody when Ariane was almost 3 years old.
“I am a young father;” I gave birth to her when I was 20 years old. Like many young couples, we just didn’t exercise for various reasons,” Hill explained. “Her mother is not in a place where she can give her the care she needs, so it makes sense for me to let her work full-time. It stays in this state. ”
The responsibilities of being a father of a toddler helped Hill grow quickly, and he praised his daughter for “keep him honest and keep him alert”.
“If I didn’t have that responsibility, I might go further in life with her,” he said. “I think this is a good thing and a blessing for both of us.”
Growing up with only one brother and no sister to refer to, Hill must learn everything about raising her daughter by herself.
“As she grows older, it’s a learning curve. Now she is in adolescence, and there are many social things I don’t know how to deal with or respond to. Physical changes, plus emotional changes that none of us have ever experienced,” Hill said with a smile. “This is the first time for both of us, and it might make things better. I am definitely not an expert in this area-and I have not claimed to be.”
When problems such as menstruation, bras and other women-related issues arise, Hill and Ariana work together to solve them, research products and talk to female friends and family.
“She is fortunate to have some great teachers throughout the elementary school, and she and the kind of teachers who are really connected put her under their protection and provided the role of mother,” Hill said. “I think it really helps. She thinks there are women around her who can get what I can’t provide.”
Other challenges for Hill as a single parent include being unable to go anywhere at the same time, being the sole decision maker and the sole breadwinner.
“You are forced to make your own decision. You have no second opinion to stop or help solve this problem,” Hill said. “It’s always tough, and it will increase a certain degree of stress, because if I can’t raise this child well, it’s all up to me.”
Hill will give some advice to other single parents, especially those fathers who find out that they are single parents, that you must find a way to solve the problem and do it step by step.
“When I first got custody of Ariana, I was busy with work; I had no money; I had to borrow money to rent a house. We struggled for a while,” Hill said. “This is crazy. I never thought we would succeed or get this far, but now we have a beautiful home, a well-run business. It’s crazy how much potential you have when you don’t realize it. Up.”
Sitting in the family’s restaurant The Bricktop Grill, Anderson smiled, although her eyes were full of tears, when she started talking about Kelsey.
“My biological father is not in my life at all. He doesn’t call; he doesn’t check, there is nothing, so I never consider him my father,” Anderson said. “When I was 3 years old, I asked Kelsey if he was willing to be my father, and he said yes. He did a lot of things. He always stayed by his side, which is really important to me.”
“In middle school and my freshman and sophomore year, he talked to me about school and the importance of school,” she said. “I thought he just wanted to raise me, but I learned it after failing a few classes.”
Even though Anderson took classes online because of the pandemic, she recalled that Kelsey asked her to get up early to prepare for school, as if she went to class in person.
“There is a complete timetable, so we can finish school work and stay motivated,” Anderson said.