Demonstrating just how far a parent’s love extends, one North Carolina dad stepped up in a big way to both spend more time with his daughter and ease her burden at work.
Demands for higher wages and a declining work ethic have continued to impact businesses seeking to fill entry and lower-level positions. For James Culp, a 42-year-old former U.S. Marine and director of a child development center at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, hearing of his daughter’s struggles at work inspired him to step up and take a second job working for her at the Newport, North Carolina Food Lion.
Having already been working for the grocery store for more than a year-and-a-half, 19-year-old Astyn Culp is her father’s superior behind the Food Lion deli and bakery counter. He recently spoke with Fox News Digital about the staff problems that included a lack of and lackluster employees, “I hire and recruit for work, so I understand how hard it is to get good people who want to work who are reliable [and] dependable.”
“As long they’ll have me, and I can work the same shift as Astyn…and help her and make her life easier, [I’ll be there],” he remarked.
A typical day for Culp has him arriving at his first job at 5:15 a.m., done there at 2:15 p.m., and clocking in at the deli counter by 3 p.m. He described the experience of getting to see his daughter take on challenges on a daily basis, “I just stand and watch sometimes. It’s one of those dad things where you are impressed and proud and all those adjectives.”
The father had detailed raising Astyn while her mom, who is expecting to retire soon, remained in the Marines. “Being around the military, in a way, we weren’t near family at all…and I wasn’t working, so I wasn’t really making friends where we were. It was really…just [me] and Astyn.”
“We were going to Padres games all the time [or] going to the zoo. We just became little partners,” he described.
Speaking with Newsweek, Astyn described her reaction when she found out her dad was coming to work with her and said, “I was ecstatic. My dad and I are best friends so it’s really awesome working with him.”
She also told Fox News Digital, “He is definitely a very reliable worker…and it kind of takes the weight off my shoulders when it is one or two less things I have to worry about, and I can focus on the task at hand,” and added, “He definitely speeds up the process and makes my life easier at the end of the day.”
Along with the work struggles, Culp detailed personal struggles overcome by his daughter that led her to spend several months away for treatment of OCD and depression. “Just knowing what she has overcome and made the best of with her own personal stuff is to me nothing short of amazing, and I could not be more proud [and] I could not love her more.”
“With two of us, we are constantly busy. For her to have done some of that work by herself, it’s impressive, and it makes me sad a little bit, and it makes me proud at the same time,” he remarked noting, “When people think [the second job] is about money, they look at me like I’m crazy, but when I tell them my daughter’s working there and this why I’m doing it, everyone understands immediately and is very supportive of it.”
Astyn too said, “The time you spend with your parents is really important, and it’s kind of something I took for granted before.”
“Being back and being able to work with him and see him every day is just something I’m really grateful for,” she expressed.
Many added their own comments in support of the father.
This!
— Laura Nelson (@LauraNe00616877) June 16, 2023
Lovely dad ❤️❤️
— Ashley (@ashleygreg699) June 16, 2023
Wow, that’s cool! Finally something different and positive on the News! #realtalk #justsaying #trending #TrendingNow #positve #greatnews #somethingdifferent
— The Curve (@whotrewthecurve) June 16, 2023
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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