Dad

Weekend Assignment #64: Tell us about a moment with your dad that serves as an example of one of his best qualities.

This is a hard assignment for me. My Dad's "best" qualities such as his need for order, his thirst for knowledge, his head for figures, or his dry sense of humor...all these qualities served to drive me up the wall at various times through my childhood.

He used his need for order (part of his military training) to rule our house with an iron fist.

His thirst for knowledge (he had 3 degrees, was a CPA and a licensed Real Estate Agent); he tried to force the importance of education down my throat at every opportunity. He couldn't stand failure.

His head for figures made him a handy resource for help with my math homework, but if I didn't "get it" fast enough, well, let's just say I was left feeling pretty stupid and worthless much of the time. He did teach me how to write checks and balance my check book. He was also painfully thrifty and it took a great deal of begging and pleading to get him to chip in some cash now and then.

The dry sense of humor? Try being the butt of Dad's jokes for 15 years...he told me he teased me because he loved me. This kind of love I could have done without!

Ultimately, even with his many faults, my Dad was a good provider. We always had a nice roof over our heads, clothes, food on the table, a decent vacation in the summer, and a good education.

And even though he was a big pain in the ass and made it as difficult for me as possible, he always made sure I had a car that was running OK (even if he had to make me feel like he was doing me the biggest favor on the planet first.)

So here is my moment...the day my Dad told me I could "use" his old car when ever I wanted, within reason...and he handed me the keys to his 1967 Honda 600. (See photo below.) That was my first car...well, really it was his, but I got to use it every day. Thanks Dad!

My first...well, not really MY...car.

P.S. A while back someone mentioned that she thought my Dad looked like Mr. Rogers. Well, the fact that he IS Mr. Rogers (literally) is beside the point. He really does look like THE Mr. Rogers, doesn't he? I am thinking they must be distantly related in some way. Tyler says "There's Grampy!" when ever he sees Mr. Rogers on PBS.

P.P.S - The conversation with my Mom over missing out on our visit this week went better than I thought it would. She was whiney but mostly reasonable. I guess Tyler having a high fever was a good enough excuse (whereas my friends' losing husbands and parents wasn't). Now she is pestering me to set a replacement date for our next visit. *sigh*  (Hey Honey? Think you can find a job in Hawaii that starts in the next month or two??)