Jack's First Catch

Sam has been teaching Jack how to fish for over a year now. We have a canal behind our home and Sam enjoys going outside on weekends or after work some evenings to toss a line and see what he can catch. It is pretty fun to watch and he always throws the fish back. Jack started going out with him to watch shortly after we moved in and sometimes Sam would let him use his pole. For Christmas, Sam bought Jack his own fishing pole and tacklebox so that they could fish together. It was one of Jack's favorite presents and he wanted to fish immediately after he opened it. Once Jack learned how to hook his own bait on the line, he started fishing after he finished his homework each afternoon. He wouldn't catch anything all day and then Sam would get home, cast a line and catch a fish within 15 minutes. This went on for months but Jack did not give up. He kept trying and even got stung by a bee one day while he was fishing but that didn't stop him. He was really determined to catch a fish!

A month ago, Jack was out back and Sam had just come home from work. We were in our living room and all of a sudden we heard the loudest screams coming from our backyard. My first thought was that Jack had been stung by another bee but I heard him screaming words. We finally registered what Jackson was screaming as we were headed out back, "I CAUGHT A FISH, I CAUGHT A FISH!" with an extreme emphasis on the "i" in fish. Jack was so excited! Sure enough, a little fish was dangling on his pole! The look of pride on his face was one of the most adorable things I have ever seen. Even cuter, I could tell he was searching for that look of approval on Sam's face. When Sam congratulated him, Jack looked even more proud of himself. Then Jack asked for help getting the fish off the hook. Sam helped him of course.

This story means so much to me. Being a step parent is hard and being a stepchild can be even harder. It is not easy to create a bond with a child who already has parents or for a child to essentially adopt a parent. It can be very hard for both to accept one another. Sam's relationship with both Felicia and Jackson has not happened over night. It has taken time and effort from all of us. Seeing Sam outside fishing with Jack everyday was only a small portion of that effort. Jack had never fished and Sam taught him. One day when Jackson is all grown up and he takes his children fishing, he will remember his stepfather teaching him how to fish and that's pretty special. They created a bond and it melted my heart to know that.

Jackson and his first catch!