Steddie dads have so many of those "proud parent of an honor student" bumper stickers on their camper/car.
They get both of their dream lives. Eddie tours in a successful but mid-tier famous band signed by an independent record label. He tours during the summer, bringing his family along on the road. He gets to spend the summers with his best friends, jamming out and making enough money that he only has to take odd jobs during the rest of the year.
Steve becomes a counselor. He gets to mentor kids and connect them with resources, and then go home to his own kids, three born to Nancy, their surrogate. It's not the six he thought he wanted, but with Eddie's mutt, Kujo, a rotating door of not-so-kid-like kids, and his job, it's everything. Plus, summers off means all the sun soaked cross country adventures his heart desires.
Eddie's old van was decommissioned in 89, but the new one is safer, and the back is well used. Steve even agreed to let Eddie get a custom paint job, the whole thing black with red flames, the Corroden Coffin logo on the left side. The camper is a nice little capsule, a soft yellow with white siding.
Their oldest starts the trend. Iris is whip smart, something they both attribute to Nancy. It doesn't surprise Steve or Eddie when she makes the honor roll in her first year of middle school. Iris is shy, bashful of attention despite being the oldest, but doesn't protest when her dads proudly place the sticker the school sent in the mail on the back of the van.
Levi (Lee) is less academically inclined, and when he turned 11, teachers and family friends started to compare him to his older sister, he struggled. Started to talk down to himself and gave up on schoolwork before he even started. Lee was one hell of a skater, though, picked it up from his favorite auntie, Max.
They set up the whole thing, putting a sealed, official-looking envelope in their own mailbox. They call Lee down, telling him something came for him in the mail. They aren't expecting the tears, but it's a moment they won't forget, the whole family gathering outside to put the new sticker on. "Future Pro Skater On Board," the sticker says
Of course, they couldn't keep little Wren out of the new tradition. He was an artsy little guy, recreating the images in his picture books as well as any five year old could. He loves to sing and dance and give his family all his best drawings, which they cherish.
He doesn't really understand it, but he relishes getting to slap a sticker of his own art onto the back of his dad's van.
They amass more over the year, some serious, others increasingly silly, but they all come from the heart. Eventually, there are so many that they need to start migrating to the camper, covering the yellow siding.
"My Kid Played Sigfried in Swan Lake? What Does Your Kid Do?"
"Future US Senator On Board."
"Proud Parent Of An Adrenaline Junkie"
"Yes, That's Was My Kid Flipping You Off. Use Your Blinker"
"We're Headed To The Michaels Arts and Crafts. Please Stand By For Masterpieces."
