Reggie Bush Sr. & Reggie Bush Jr.

- a close relationship between father and son

by RR Bada
Ascended Health Ministries

Reggie Bush Jr.'s natural biological father, Reggie Bush Sr. ("Big Reggie"), lives in Inglewood, CA, 100 miles north of Reggie Jr's ("Little Reggie") native San Diego, CA. From the time Little Reggie was born, Big Reggie, then 20 yrs old, lived 100 miles away. This did not mean he did not want to be with his son, however. Quite the opposite, as any father with similar experience of a first-born son may know.

"Little Reggie was my son. My first-born son. My only son. I loved him from the minute he was born. How could I not? There has not been a day that went by that I did not think of him. My goal then is the same as my goal now: stay close to my son, provide for him and be the best father I can be. I am very, very proud of him. He is very athletically gifted, but best of all, he is humble and intelligent. I would like to think he took some of that from my side - after all, he's a Bush! As fate would have it, though, he has a tremendous mother and step-father, and they provided for him very well. Very well. I thank God for Denise and LaMar Griffin. They deserve the best.

I want the world to know this: I do not seek money, fame or fortune from my son. I seek to be the best father I can be and support him the best way possible. Because I did not raise my son on a daily basis, it did not mean I was not there for him. Were there things I wish I could have done different? Sure. Absolutely. But I was there on his early days playing Pop Warner Football, I was there during many of his High School games, his Prom and throughout his life. I drove 100 miles to see his games. Now, I am still here and continue on, doing what I need to do as a father and a positive influence on my son's life.

I always knew he was special. He changed and continues to change my life without knowing it. As he has perserved, I do to. I am a better man today because of him. My son and my 2 daughters are my most precious things in life. My 3 children are what I live for each day - to try to get them to be better than me.

To go on and make a difference despite your circumstances, despite what obstacles face your way, is what motivates me. I don't have much, but can I still be a positive role model for my son? Absolutely. That is my goal."

Despite various articles written to the contrary, Big Reggie knows his son very well and is quite close to him. Let's set the record straight - Reggie Bush Sr. and Reggie Bush Jr. stay in touch on a regular basis and visit with each other as much as a father-son pair can in today's split-parent society.

From the time Little Reggie was born, Big Reggie has been an active participant in his life. Even at 3 months of age, Big Reggie frequently took him for extended visits to Inglewood from San Diego. In fact, Little Reggie would be lovingly coddled and raised by the extended Bush family for periods of up to 1 week at a time. Given his modest situation at the time, Big Reggie saw Little Reggie as much as he could, and as time went on, continued visiting with his son on a regular basis. No more than 3 months went by without Big Reggie seeing his son. To this day, Little Reggie is very close with his father and especially with his paternal grandmother, Claudine Bush Smith. Little Reggie's two sisters, Doniele 13, and Dezhane, 10, also are quite close to him and of course, adore him to death.

In the coming weeks, Big Reggie will start commenting on the special talents his son has, from the view only known through a biological father's eyes. From the time of Pop Warner football to his high school football games, Big Reggie was there, in the background, quiet and unobstrusive, being a proud father. He watched and filmed.

"I knew he was something special the first time he touched the football in Pop Warner. I kept telling everyone I knew that they had to watch my son, but nobody believed me. So I started taking videos. You will see that his moves now are the same from the time he was 10 years old!

Despite all his athletic accomplishments, I am most proud of the way he has gone about his education and schooling. His humbleness, attention to detail and intelligence is what makes me most proud."

These days, Reggie Bush Sr. is working with Ascended Health Ministries to help him maintain a proper spiritual perspective on the things happening all around him.

"While I don't consider myself the most religious man, I am spiritual and try to always do the right thing. I do believe that God has a plan for all of us. It comes in different ways and forms. My son and my 2 daughters are what God gave me and I am just working from there.

I don't question why things have happened the way they did, but rather what I am I going to do with what God has put in front of me. It is all the way you view it, you see. If its an opportunity to do good, make a difference and be a better father, then that is the direction I will go."

So where does Big Reggie plan to go from here?

"With all the attention that my son has garnered, I am getting attention also. I am using this brief moment in time to work with what resources I can muster and focus on doing good for the community, giving back and finding ways to support my family. My main focus is not in capitalizing on this situation financially, because that doesn't work for me. My main focus is on doing things that will maintain a close relationship with my son and continuing to grow as a man. As with all fathers, I want him to be proud of me.

I'm still young (he is in his early 40s), and even though I am disabled, I am attempting to learn new skills to help me provide for my family.

How will he accomplish this?

"So far, God has put together a team of people that believe in me and what I am doing. They have compiled my old videos of Little Reggie into a DVD of his early years, from his father's eyes. The DVD will be out soon - in fact, we have a little trailer of it on the web site. I am sure people will appreciate the chance to watch Little Reggie when he was 10 years old. The moves he made then are the same he does now! It is a sight to behold.

I have also written a book that sets the record straight about who I am as a father and a man to Little Reggie and my 2 daughters, Doniele and Dezhane. I feel that what has been said, or at least alluded to in the press about me and my situation is not correct at all. Let me repeat that - AT ALL. It was quite an experience for me reading some of the things written.

For example, imagine what you would think if the son you saw on more than an occasional basis was portrayed to be a person you hardly knew! Considering the distance, I made an attempt to see him every 2-3 months. The longest amount of time I never physically saw my son was 6 months.

The book is quite emotional for me - I didn't realize how much I was keeping inside. I am not a bitter man, nor do I harbor anything but gratitude towards Denise and LaMar Griffin. But as I have felt the need to tell things from my point of view, it became clear to me that many fathers out there might be experiencing this same thing - where they are misrepresented. I am using this forum to set the record straight. This is still a work in progress.

The creation of a DVD and Book are giant steps in moving my life forward in a new direction. I can't believe how empowering it was for me to do these 2 projects. It really is setting a foundation for my future with my family, while releasing old energies that were getting in the way."

Very lofty goals indeed. But if his son is any inspiration, Big Reggie will be able to conquer this goal also.