Traci Seavy’s sons were born 18 months apart, and she said they are completely different.
Shane Brooks, 31, is her “all-American kid.” He has three daughters, is clean cut, enjoys grilling, loves attending soccer matches and works for a pharmaceutical company in Bloomington.
Kyle Brooks, 29, is her “rebel.” He raised a daughter by himself until a couple of years ago, a son who has distal arthrogryposis and two stepchildren. He is tattooed and pierced, has long hair, enjoys attending PopCon and similar events and works as a machinist in Columbus.
Seavy found one thing they have in common: They are “two of the best daddies I know and love.”
“I’m very proud of both my boys, their ways of parenting and becoming men,” she said.
The brothers grew up in Lebanon before moving to Seymour, where Shane graduated from high school in 2009 and Kyle the next year.
Shane’s eldest daughter, Shalei, was born when he and his wife, Shawnee, were in high school.
After graduation, he worked at Walmart and became a supervisor before entering the pharmaceutical realm, starting with Lannett in Seymour and then moving to Catalent Pharma Solutions in Bloomington a couple of years ago. He was just promoted to quality assurance supervisor.
“It took some time, but I’m in a really good spot,” he said of his promotion.
Along with Shalei, 14, Shane and Shawnee have two other daughters, Sharlet, 8, and Shylar, 3.
Raising three daughters has been interesting, Shane said. He and Kyle grew up with a sister, Holli, who is several years younger than them.
“I didn’t have that super close sibling relationship with my sister, but I kind of parented her if you would being the older brother,” he said. “I grew up with little boys doing little boy stuff, and having girls has been a complete 180 from that. It has been interesting to get your nails painted or playing mermaids instead of GI Joes, that kind of stuff, things you never thought you’d do on a Saturday morning watching Barbie cartoons.”
But he said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Absolutely not,” Shane said. “I have friends with little boys, and they are a ball of energy, so I think I got fairly lucky.”
Shane admits at first, being a dad was very scary.
“I was very young, and I didn’t know exactly how to be a parent,” he said. “That’s something I’ve really figured out, and I’ve grown to be a better parent with time. It has been a challenge, but it has shown me who I am and who I want to be, exemplifying that for my daughters as to the kind of spouse that they should strive to have and the kind of relationship that they would want.”
Kyle said he worked in factories after graduation and then got into machining and has been doing that ever since. He moved from a CNC machinist to a CNC technician at Sterling Industries in Columbus, and he’s now working on learning to program and trying to go to school for that.
He raised his daughter, Harmony Rose, who is now 7, by himself for five years. Then he started dating Chastity Terry, and they had a son, Jersey, more than a year ago. Since Jersey was diagnosed with the disorder characterized by joint deformities that restrict movement in the hands and feet, Chastity has stayed home with him.
“When he was born, he looked like he was standing in the cross-legged position. He could not bend his legs,” Kyle said. “It was at 24 weeks, we had been going to Seymour and they weren’t seeing his arms move. They were raised above his head in ultrasounds. They sent us up to Indy just to get a second opinion, and then they were like, ‘He’s got arthrogryposis.’”
Jersey started treatments after he was born.
“It’s therapy for the rest of his life,” Kyle said. “We are extremely lucky with how he is affected and how he has progressed.”
Kyle also enjoys being a stepfather to two of Chastity’s kids, Jaxton Terry, 10, and Gram Mitchell, 7.
“Jaxton’s dad died. He didn’t know his dad. I’m the first father figure that he has had, and it has been an experience,” Kyle said. “He’s also at the age now he’s trying to figure out who he is. His younger siblings are so young compared to a 10-, almost 11-year-old. We have a lot of the same interests. I try to push him into my interests, of course, just ‘Hey, I’m into this. Do you want to be into this, too?’”
Gram still goes to see his father, and Kyle said they have a really good relationship.
“I don’t treat the kid different,” Kyle said. “It doesn’t matter who the kid is from. They are in my house, they are taken care of, as it should be.”
Kyle and Chastity are engaged, but no wedding date has been set.
Both being fathers, the brothers often talk about their kids and are able to help each other. Plus, their sister has three sons.
As for advice for other fathers, Kyle said it’s important to know it’s OK to ask for help or seek help and not fall into the standards of men.
“Get up, help the family, be a team player and work with your kids,” he said. “Show them interest. Don’t push them. Let kids be kids.”
Shane agreed with that last statement.
“They are going to make a mess. They are going to track mud through your house. It’s definitely going to happen, and you can get upset about it all you want, but it’s not going to change anything,” he said. “That’s something I’ve learned and just let them be kids. They will show you who to be and what they need. You just have to listen.”
It’s also key to be involved, Shane said.
“I think that’s a super important thing as far as whatever they want to join — basketball or dance or cheerleading, whatever,” he said. “My daughters have done dance and cheer now for several years. I don’t understand a thing about what I’m watching, but I’m there to support. I think that’s important.”