1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)
My name isn’t really Almightydad. It’s Keith Wilcox. I’m a California kid who was transplanted for a portion of my youth to New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I went to the University of Oklahoma and got a major in Spanish and another one in History. Being the flake that I am I dropped out of college half way through in order to go to Mexico. That’s where I met my future wife, and I was married within a year. She encouraged me to finish school which I did. Several jobs later and a bunch of moves and I find myself with two kids living in Boulder Colorado.
2) Tell me about your family
My wife if from Puebla Mexico (I mentioned that) and became a citizen of the United States back in 2004. She’s the smart one in the family. I never would have graduated had it not been for her. She’s a lawyer by schooling but she doesn’t practice. I have no discernible skills at all other than my stellar parenting abilities and my now defunct ability to run really really fast. My boys, Neil and Alan are 7 and 5 years old and they’re at home all day with me homeschooling.
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
My life has been pretty blessed as a parent. I can’t think of a time that I’ve felt overwhelmed or otherwise harried by my schedule and responsibilities. Sometimes though challenges don’t need to be physical barriers. My transition from kid to parent was hard. I took my life for granted when I was younger, always thinking about all the great things I was going to do in the future. When I became a father I suddenly realized that my time training for athletic greatness was done. I could spend time with my family or I could chase a long shot in athletics. The choice was obvious but not easy. It took me a few years to come to peace with it.
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
Don’t put off for tomorrow the things that you should do today. Time goes way too fast to have regrets.
5) Seeing that you (or your position) is in the limelight, how have you come to balance parenthood and outside life?
I spend several hours a day on my blog not including the time it takes me to do research. My wife spends another few hours translating it. Thus, it’s almost a full time job. The blog is my hobby now. I use it as an outlet for everything I’ve always wanted to say but kept silent about. Thus, it’s an important part of who I am now. The things I write are intended to help me keep growing and thinking while being a good father and homeschooling parent at the same time. I figure it’s no good to be a teacher who doesn’t keep learning. Taking parenthood for granted is not something I want to do, and the blog helps me keep in touch with what’s going on and it keeps me learning. The blog and my other life therefore are intertwined. I don’t have an outside life really. I write and I parent. That’s about it.
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?
If there’s one thing that other dads have taught me it’s that there are as many fathering techniques as there are dads. We’re all different and we all manage to get it all done. There was a time that I thought being right was the most important thing, but the more I interact with other dads the more I learn that we’re all going to the same place – just from different angles. Being right is sometimes a fact and sometimes just an illusion. Life is less about being right than it is about getting it done with grace and sincerity. It may not apply to other areas of life, but in parenting the ends really do justify the means.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
Being a father is way more rewarding than having a big time career or being famous. There’s a funny thing about highly successful people; it’s really hard to spend the time necessary to reach fame and still be a good parent. Michael Douglas is a good example of someone who seems to have failed at creating that balance. There are examples of good and famous parents, but those people are a rarity and almost super human. It’s better to be humble and poor than to sacrifice your standards. Your kids are your legacy so don’t mess it up.
What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
The most memorable part of my parenting existence has been the birth of my second son, Alan. He was almost born on I-35 between Austin and Fort Worth. We didn’t have medical insurance when Mely was pregnant and we couldn’t qualify for assistance because she wasn’t a citizen (I suggested more than once that she just start speaking Spanish at the Hospital and it would all be free). We thus decided the best thing to do would be to go to Mexico to have the baby. Her mother and father and several Aunts and Uncles are doctors and were more than willing to get her set up at a good hospital in Mexico. Well, we drove down there and waited. Nothing happened, we got impatient and started back home. At the border crossing she started having contractions. Being the super smart guy that I am I made the command decision to continue on too Fort Worth instead of turning around. We were 15 minutes “early” for Alan’s delivery by the time we got to Fort Worth 8 hours later. That was my dumbest moment and my most memorable.
If you have any questions for Keith, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
Also, do you know a Dad in the Limelight? If so, please email me their contact information so that they too can be a part of this series!
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