Father's Day

My wife says to me...'if Savannah were to ask you what you wanted for Father's Day, what would you say'.
I know my wife means 'what gift would you like to receive', but for me, the gifts I get each day are more than enough.
As a parent, I have the responsibility of growing a young child into a successful, mature and productive adult.  But at the same time, even when she gets into mischief, I want to shake my head and smile.
Unfortunately, effective parenting sometimes requires being the 'bad guy'.
My daughter, while she does have her 'daddy days' where she clings to me, ultimately knows that Daddy's word is law.
She knows that when it comes time to run her bath, it's only a matter of time before I come to fetch and subject her to this horrid ritual of removing in mere minutes what took her all day to accomplish.
That's when she runs to her mother, and I have to pry her off Margie to get her in the tub.
Then comes 'school days', when we take her to daycare (and pre-school in the fall).  Because my wife leaves before me for work, my duties are waking Savannah up, and getting her dressed and ready for the day.
I walk in and she turns and says 'mommy'.
Nope kid, sorry to disappoint you.
The whining continues until I remind her that her mother will come to pick her up from daycare.  This usually perks her up.
Fortunately for me, my daughter hasn't relegated me to her bad-guy list.  Thanks to my wife, The Informer.
When she picks up Savannah, the little Munchkin asks for me, so says Margie.
The same when Margie gets her up Sunday morning when I'm working at the radio station.
She wants us together.
And that ain't bad.
The gifts that my family gives me each day can't be bought with money.
I don't see myself as Father of the Year or World's Greatest Dad.
If my own family thinks I'm doing a good job, that'll be enough for me.
Many times, Dads are taken for granted.
In most cases, they're the primary wage earner outside the home.  They provide the means for the family to survive.
Yet pop culture doesn't always put Dads in a positive light.
Check the music charts..."Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by the Temptations.  "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin.
The only one I remember hearing that sounded positive is "Watching Scotty Grow," the Mac Davis-penned tune made a hit by Bobby Goldsboro.
"Isn't She Lovely," by Stevie Wonder, gives a first-person view.  In fact, this is the same tune backing a video collage my wife made me that she presented me with today, showing our daughter in various stages of growth, from the ultrasound to now.
Thank you, Stevie.
Now I'm only talking about pop music here.  There are some on the country music charts, but that's a niche audience, and for the purposes of discussion here, we're staying on the mainstream Top 40.
But I'll digress for the benefit of my country-lovin' readers for a moment.
My all-time favorite best "Dad" song...
"Love Without End, Amen" by George Strait.



IN TWO WEEKS:  Not Dad Yet