Happy Birthday to my Dad 2017 edition
Posted By Kathleen David on November 14, 2017
Back in the day when my brothers, sister and I went to conventions together as a group, we would get together with our friends and just talk about everything and anything. On occasion the topic of parents would come up and boy did my friends have some issues with their parents. They would come to us expecting us to join in and we would say, “Nope, no issues. I get along well with my parents.” and we would be looked at if we were unicorns or had two heads.
And I have. Not that we haven’t butted heads at times. That’s part of growing up and being human. There were times that my father and I were at loggerheads on a topic or opinion and neither of us were going to back down on it. Frankly I can’t remember what any of the issues were but at the time they were important to me.
Overall, my father and I get long really well. I know that I am loved even when we don’t understand each other. And as a teenager I could be a real pain in the ášš. Obnoxious more than rebellious.
I still take pride in telling people what my father did for a living. He is a scientist who works with lasers (which made him automatically cool in the 60s and 70s) and lens design. He may be retired from teaching but he is still writing about the subject.
He encourage me to become the best at whatever I was going to do. He helped me with my homework and taught me how to research a paper correctly and sorted out footnotes for me so I knew what all the shorthand stood for. He made sure that if we used a word, we knew what it meant. Language has meaning to him and it is important to be able to speak well and knowledgably. We were not allowed to pick up the local accent of where ever we were living. To this day people are amazed that I grew up in Atlanta and I haven’t a trace of a southern accent. Unless I get into a conversation with someone from Arkansas, the all bets are off. I was taught that how you present yourself to the world is important.
I think he takes pride in that fact that he raised four very different and very smart children. He enjoys hearing about his grandchildren’s accomplishment as well.
My love and knowledge of art came from him. He would talk about the art we would see. I have always been grateful that my parents took us to as many museums as they did. I saw a lot of things in person that most people just see as a postcard or an image on the web. At the time I didn’t understand why but now I do. I am glad that I can share what I learned from him with Caroline who loves going to museums and looking at art.
My father is smart, funny, clever, and loving. I couldn’t ask for a better Dad.
I love him very much.
Happy Birthday Da. Hope that the day brings you lovely things.
I am so very grateful that my father is my father.
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