Hi Dr. Laura,
I live in New Jersey and was hit pretty hard during Superstorm Sandy. We still do not have power, but compared to so many of our friends and neighbors we are fine.
I have been married for 27 years to a "real" man and it was so evident during the disaster: My husband did everything in his power to protect his family and our home. Our two sons (16 and 23) worked side-by-side with my husband preparing for the storm and cleaning up after it was over. I want to share two stories with you:
First, I overheard my husband with my 23 year old, giving him a list of supplies he needed to go get for the house. I heard him tell our son that he needed to know how to take care of his home and family. He explained how to properly transport gasoline in the car for the generator, and how to read the manual to repair it. Second, after 3 full days of cleaning, my 16 year old was a little slow in coming out to help. I heard my husband go into his room and tell my son he understood he was tired, however, the job was not finished and there was NO WAY he could stay in bed while his mother was outside working.
These are just two examples of how lucky I am that my sons have such a wonderful role model. My sons learned to "man up" during this disaster, care for their home, family and neighbors, all thanks to the example of their dad.
Miriam
P.S.: The mom in me would have let the 16 year old stay in bed a little longer. Thank God for dads!
