If you have a great dad...


When he arrives home and you show him how your eye was introduced to your sister's head he'll tell you it is the best "shiner" he has ever seen and then he'll laugh with you and giggle and ask you why you ran your eye into your sister's head. He'll refrain from scolding you because his fatherly sense will tell him it was an accident and really he is impressed by your adventurous spirit since you darted down the hallway with little regard for oncoming traffic.

And when you tell him your hard head was the cause of your sister's black eye he'll tell you what good aim you have and how lucky you are your head is so big and so hard it only gave you a little bump. He'll applaud your fashion sense in that your bruise coordinates in color with your sister's black eye. When you show him the teeny-tiny bruise he'll beam with pride alongside you for the wound you incurred during the experience and his facial expression will become one of comfort and understanding when you demand a fair share of the sympathy your sister is getting.

On his special day (aka "Father's Day") he'll rock you and hold you and caress your back as you squirm and writhe in agony and pain because while three adults were surrounding the grill (on his special day) you still managed to sneak in and grab a hold of it. He'll praise you for your fine gripping skills and show even more pride in the fact that for a 1 1/2 year old you possess lightning reflexes thus pulling your hands off the grill when they started to feel really, really hot. He'll tell you what a brave boy you must be for enduring 2nd degree burns across your hands and that not everyone is so jolly and happy on Lortab. And when the nurses and doctors in the ER and burn clinic try to examine your wounds he'll continue to hold you with his strong muscles and tell you the worst is past and now you just have to hold still for 3.2 minutes while your hands get wrapped. When you decide the worst thing in the world is to hold still for 3.2 minutes he will compensate for your impatience. As your determination increases so will his strength and despite your persistent efforts to be free your hands will still receive the attention they need and deserve.

When you decide it really is time to learn to ride a bike minus the training wheels he will champion your desire to be a big girl and volunteer as your coach. As you get the hang of balancing and steering and pedaling all at the same time he will encourage you and tell you what a great job you're doing even though you just rammed into the curb and catapulted yourself into the grass. He'll pick you up, brush you off, and insist with a huge smile you hop back on and give it another try. Then he'll run alongside you as your bike picks up speed to ensure a safe ride up and down the street. When you turn your bike too close to parked cars he will be right there to steer you away to prevent a trip to the ER. He will sweat, he will get thirsty, he'll run out of breath because he's been awake since 5am, but he will forge ahead because he loves you and neither one of you will call it quits until you both feel content with your progress for the evening.

When he let's you out the front door because you're dying to explore the mud pile in the driveway in your pjs he'll encourage the exploration to the point of turning the experience into a photo shoot. He'll laugh when you smash the mud around your eye and smear it all over the garage door. He'll shrug when your mom nags him about getting mud in the house. He'll assure her he'll clean you up after you've had your fun because she'll rant and rave about her refusal to do it. When the time arrives to hose you off he will ask her to assist by taking pictures of your cold, outdoor shower. Even though you experience a loss of breath due to the chill of the water and attempt to explain to him in whines how you really don't like the hose in your face he'll be vigilant in dousing you because he's older and wiser and knows a mud mask is only good while it's moist and not so good once stiff and hard.

Our dad is not for sale. You'll have to get your own, but if you're in the market these are a few things you might consider for your list of wants in a good dad.

On any given day our dad proves he is the best not only by word but by deed. We love you sweet daddy!