I'll never be Super Dad and that's okay

Super Dad? Not even close

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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I decided to ask the people who read this blog what types of topics they'd like to see covered outside of the usual wrestling posts. Parenting has been a popular pick, so today I'm tackling the issue. You may see more blogs on the subject in the near future as I'm working on some new ideas for the future of My 1-2-3 Cents. Stay tuned for those details.

Growing up my parents were mine and my brother's biggest supporters. My dad coach soccer teams year after year and he served as a leader in Boy Scouts going on countless campouts and hikes with the troop. My mom was a den mother, served as the president of the PTO and volunteered at several other functions. In high school, they attended my brother's wrestling matches and football games. They cheered me on at cross country meets (including the 2.5 hour trip to Sikeston each year), track meets and school plays. 

Spring Break in Gatlinburg, TN

When I had kids it was my plan to be just as involved in our kids' lives. And thanks to the schedule I work, I'm able to attend just about every activity the kids do. Despite them being embarrassed if we cheer too loud, my wife and I wouldn't miss these opportunities for anything. But having three kids that are part of teams and clubs sometimes someone gets shuffled to another parent. That's where the "It takes a village" concept really helps.

But does that make us Super Parents? Of course not. While we are active in our kids' lives and spend as much time as possible with them, there are plenty of times we would not be awarded Parent of the Year trophies.

• We cuss in front of our kids. Sometimes the F-bomb even gets dropped.

• We've had cake, ice cream and even candy for dinner at times.
  
•  All three kids have their own smartphone and are on social media. In fact, my 16-year-old has a better phone than both of us. Sometimes we text each other from down the hall. 

Lucha Dad & Lucha Daughter

• I've made the kids dress up and participate in some of my silly antics. Most of the time they're good sports. The teenagers are no longer required to do this.   

• Laundry doesn't always get folded and put away in a timely matter. Ironing is a great rarity here.
  
• The kids don't make straight As (or Bs). They drop the ball on the field, hit a sour note in the band or miss a step in a cheer competition. We don't dwell on these moments. They're learning lessons and we move on. I recently heard the phrase "You win some, you LEARN some." It's a good strategy to use in life.
  

The Hecks
Courtesy: ABC

I'm sure I'm forgetting other less-than-perfect parenting moments around here. But you get the point. I wanted to share this because there's no such thing as the perfect parent. Many times people on social media and bloggers like to present a picture-perfect view of their lives. I like to compare our family to the Hecks on the ABC comedy The Middle. Enjoy the time you have while the birds are still in the nest and no one can say we're not doing that.

My Favorite Pics of 2015

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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A quick year in review of my favorite pics (most of them I took or am in, sorry).  Overall it was a good year.  Hoping 2016 is even better though.  Thanks again for reading the blog, listening to the podcast and watching the YouTube channel.

January

Oh What a Night

In January I once again had the pleasure of being a part of the Hospice of Southern Illinois Red Carpet Gala.  I'm so happy my wife was able to attend this year too.  I was a part of the "Jersey Boys" and we were the closing number.  It was a lot of fun for everyone involved.  

February 

We Heart You

Valentine's Day 2015 was spent as a family at a restaurant here in southern Illinois called Grumpy's.  The name is fitting as the two teenagers were grumpy about having their photo taken so I added hearts to keep the spirit of the holiday alive.

March

Give Me a Break

For the first time ever, we decided to take a quick trip over Spring Break.  We surprised the kids and got in the van Saturday morning bound for Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  This shot is from dinner at the Dixie Stampede. They don't allow photography during the show, so this was a pre-dinner selfie.  As you can see the boys aren't impressed with being photographed.

April

A Beautiful Day

In April I took my podcast, My 1-2-3 Cents, on the road and met the legendary "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton.  He's one half of the Midnight Express.  Bobby was at the Cape ComiCon event in Cape Girardeau.  He was gracious enough to spend some time doing an interview with me and he met my daughter Brooke too.  I'm already looking forward to 2016's event.

May

I Mustache What You're Looking At

My buddy Tom Harness is one of a kind.  He runs a successful business, Harness Digital Marketing, is a loving husband and father, a veteran and dedicated to making the community a better place (not all in that order though).  The mustache suit came about to promote HerrinFesta Italian.  He and I did this silly pose at S&B Burger Joint.

June

Insane in the Membrane

I've been running for the last few years.  I like to get the family involved in the process and in June we found a race in Evansville called The Insane Inflatable 5K.  My crew was joined by one of my oldest (in age and longevity) friends, Kevin and his family.  After the race in Evansville, we spent the night and next day in Santa Claus, Indiana and hung out at Holiday World.  It was a blast.

July

Hey Batter, Batter!

In July my nephew and niece visited us from Texas for about a week. I snapped this picture of my then 5 year old nephew Chace watching his cousin at bat.  He was so excited to see Mason play ball.  We ended the evening at Chuck E. Cheese were more fun times unfolded.

August

#TeamNoSleep

WSIL added a weekend morning news cast over the summer.  Once all the players were in place it was time to do a photo shoot.  This is my favorite shot from that day.  Some viewers went so far as to add backgrounds to the green screen.  Watch Monday through Friday 5 a.m. - 7 a.m. and Saturday & Sunday from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.

September

Hero in a Half Shell

My daughter has embraced her inner nerd, professing her love for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  This year for her birthday, a friend got her this hoodie.  She also has earrings, a tee-shirt and footie pjs that portray the heroes.  

October

Marathon Man

It's hard to tell in that pic, but that's me crossing the finish line at my first marathon.  Never in my life did I imagine I'd complete a full marathon.  It was such an incredible experience.  My wife, Lisa, played a huge role in keeping me motivated that day.  You can read about it here.

November

Make New Friends...

Earlier in the school year I got a message from a viewer telling me her son had picked me as "the celebrity I most want to meet."  Since they're a local family this would be no problem.  After months of scheduling, I was able to finally meet Nate and his mom for lunch on a Friday afternoon.  We had Subway and spent some time chatting about life.  He's a great kid and I'm beyond flattered he wanted to meet me.

December

#HoHoHunsperger

For the first time in years, my brother and his family and my family were able to be under one roof on Christmas Day.  It was great to spend time together and since I took off work the week after Christmas it was even nicer not having to rush back to southern Illinois on Christmas night.  

Spring Break: Then and Now

Spring Break views in 1995 and 2015

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

In March 1995, a dozen of my Sigma Nu fraternity brothers loaded three different cars for a week of fun in the sun.  Our destination was Panama City Beach, Florida.  It was my senior year and first spring break getaway.  Fast forwarded twenty years, and my wife and I loaded our minivan and surprised our three kids with a spring break trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Obviously, spring break is much different when you're a 21-year-old college student compared to a 41-year-old father of three.  As I sat in the water park at our resort, I thought about how things had changed over the last 20 years.

In 1995, we all hung out at the infamous Club La Vela at night, having a good time...

In 2015, the only club I saw was the one I held during a rousing round of mini-golf at MagiQuest in Pigeon Forge.

In 1995, we paid $10 to drink all day at a place called Sharky's Beach Club.

Sharks at the Ripley's Aquarium

In 2015, we spent part of the day looking at sharks at the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.

In 1995, a collection of pop tabs needed to be picked up and thrown away.

In 2015, Pop Tarts' crumbs were collected that needed to be picked up and thrown away.

Both trips were a blast for very different reasons, obviously.  New memories were made this time around with the four most important people in my life.