I was listening to sports talk radio the other day after Jim Tressel resigned (Ohio State football coach who knew about various wrongdoing by his players yet kept quiet). The caller said, “What kind of parent turns in his own kids” (referring to Tressel’s relationship to his players). The host said, “What kind of parent doesn’t!” That is a perfect precursor to my Father’s Day blog (which could also be a Mother’s Day blog).
I remember to this day when my mom found out I had taken a candy bar from Smith’s Food King in Los Alamitos while I was shopping with her. I was ashamed, it was wrong. But that wasn’t enough, my mom took me back up to the store to pay for the candy bar and apologize to the manager. This was no easy feat when you consider I was one of 5 kids who had to be lugged back up there. Obviously, this made a huge impression on me. She didn’t do it because she wanted me to get into trouble, I was already there; she did it to show me the consequence of my action, the way to do the right thing and the power of forgiveness. My folks were very good at that.
The best words of advice my dad ever gave me were, “Don’t be stupid”. Sounds kind of odd, but it was perfect. After all the time he spent showing us how to do the right thing and how to make good decisions, when we would go out with friends in high school or college or out on a date, those were his words. He knew he had instilled in us the ability to tell right from wrong, good decisions from bad, smart from stupid. A two hour fire and brimstone speech could not have been any more effective because those three words were backed up by a lifetime of hard work, Indian Guide campouts, family vacations, baseball coaching, church involvement and dedication to family that were the culmination of doing the right thing, making good decisions and being smart. Putting family first. He never said, “Be like me”, he is much too humble for that, but that is what I heard every time he said, “Don’t be stupid”.
I love you Dad, Happy Fathers Day!!
I remember to this day when my mom found out I had taken a candy bar from Smith’s Food King in Los Alamitos while I was shopping with her. I was ashamed, it was wrong. But that wasn’t enough, my mom took me back up to the store to pay for the candy bar and apologize to the manager. This was no easy feat when you consider I was one of 5 kids who had to be lugged back up there. Obviously, this made a huge impression on me. She didn’t do it because she wanted me to get into trouble, I was already there; she did it to show me the consequence of my action, the way to do the right thing and the power of forgiveness. My folks were very good at that.
The best words of advice my dad ever gave me were, “Don’t be stupid”. Sounds kind of odd, but it was perfect. After all the time he spent showing us how to do the right thing and how to make good decisions, when we would go out with friends in high school or college or out on a date, those were his words. He knew he had instilled in us the ability to tell right from wrong, good decisions from bad, smart from stupid. A two hour fire and brimstone speech could not have been any more effective because those three words were backed up by a lifetime of hard work, Indian Guide campouts, family vacations, baseball coaching, church involvement and dedication to family that were the culmination of doing the right thing, making good decisions and being smart. Putting family first. He never said, “Be like me”, he is much too humble for that, but that is what I heard every time he said, “Don’t be stupid”.
I love you Dad, Happy Fathers Day!!
