Where Mercy Is Shown, Mercy Is Given - Duane Dog Chapman [110]
There was something about Leland as my baby boy that made him extraordinary in my eyes. I’m sure most fathers feel that way about their sons, just as they carry a special place in their heart for their first-born too. It takes a man to make a boy, and at the time, I had two boys whom I loved with all my heart.
Leland and Duane Lee moved to Colorado Springs with their mother after I went to prison. Leland was a baby, barely nine months old, when I went in. Duane Lee was a toddler. I missed out on so many moments of their lives, special times that I’ll never get back. I take the blame for that. Even so, I hoped they would welcome me back into their lives when we finally reconnected.
I spent five years fighting their mother, LaFonda, in court before I was awarded visitation rights to see the boys on weekends. I had waited seven years for the chance to get my boys back. As excited as I was at the idea of seeing them again, they didn’t share my enthusiasm. My boys were scared to be alone with me because I was a stranger to them, especially Leland, who was now nine years old.
It took time for the three of us to get to know one another again. Although the process was sometimes very frustrating and heartbreaking, eventually we began to bond. I showed them affection, gave them lots of hugs and kisses, and tried to be the best father I knew how to be.
I had finally begun to connect with Leland when I almost blew us back to square one when he came to show me a loose tooth one day. When I was a boy, my grandpa used to tie one end of a string around a doorknob and the other to my tooth. When the tooth was good and loose, he’d yank it out by slamming the door! I thought that was how all teeth got pulled, so when Leland came to me, I did what Grandpa had done. The problem was that Leland’s tooth wasn’t quite ready to come out. He went flying off the stool I had him sitting on and tumbled onto the floor. Duane Lee cracked up watching this disaster unfold, as his brother lay there crying, more from fear than pain. I felt awful, but it turned out to be a breakthrough moment for us.
From that day on, Leland has stuck it out with me through some pretty rough times. And for as long as I can remember, he has shown more interest in bounty hunting than any of my other kids. All of my children have grown up in the family business, but Leland was a natural-born bloodhound.
As my kids got older, I didn’t feel comfortable being away from them all the time, so I began taking them to work with me. By the time Duane Lee was fifteen, an age where young boys need more attention so they stay out of trouble, I really knew I couldn’t leave him unsupervised, so I kept a watchful eye on my boys as often as I could.
As close as we were, I had to be careful not to be just friends with my kids. They needed a parent who was willing to be present. It’s important to be a part of their lives so you know what’s going on with them outside the home, and then stay there until it is time for you to go off to the old folks’ home. Being with them gives you gigantic purpose and meaning in life. I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by my wife, children, and grandchildren. There’s nothing more precious in the world to me than family. As a dad, I feel it is my responsibility to make sure the children are taken care of in every way. Although I encouraged them to have friends growing up, as a large family we always had one another. I wanted to include my kids in every aspect of my life, so I made sure they learned the family business from an early age.
Some people think it’s unusual that our family is so close. We work together, spend free time with one another, and have built a television dynasty based on our strong family foundation. It’s natural that as parents, we worry about losing our babies, even when they are no longer children.