When I was first learning to talk my parents decided to make a bet. If I said “Mom” first, my dad would take my mother out for dinner. If “Dad” came first, she would take my father out. Each spent the following weeks excessively using their titles, and anxiously waiting for me to catch on. So you can imagine their surprise when one morning, they heard a loud “HEY YOU!” coming from my crib.
For about a month, to my parents bewilderment and, I’m sure, embarrassment, this is how I continued to greet everybody. Finally, they discovered that the culprit was, in fact, my father. He would frequently play guitar in his studio, which was located on the other side of the wall of my room, right next to my crib. One of his favorite songs to sing was “Get Off of My Cloud” by the Rolling Stones. The dominant lyrics? “Hey! You! Get off of my cloud.” From that moment on, my father would come into my room to play his guitar, and we would sing the song together. By the time I finally said “Mom” (which, by the way, came first) my mother was so relieved she had forgotten about the bet completely, and my Dad didn’t mind because he had already secretly claimed the victory.
To this day, when I think of the time I spent with my dad as a child, I mostly think of lying on the floor with a coloring book, happily singing along to the Rolling Stones while he played guitar. In my eyes my dad was a true rock star. But he was also much more than that. When he wasn’t entertaining my siblings and me with music, he was drawing and writing stories for us, taking us to the park and playing ‘monster’, or talking to us like adults and asking us for business advice. He was always thinking of creative ways to make us laugh. He was my hero, and we truly were inseparable.
As I have grown older, our time spent together has gotten less frequent, but I value the time we do spend together even more than I did as a child. Every time I see my dad, I gain more appreciation for his creativity, passion and positive energy. He has been such a strong influence on who I have become, and I am thankful that each day I recognize a little bit more of him in me.
What is your favorite memory with your father? How are you celebrating Father’s Day tomorrow? Little Pickle Press would love to know!
7 comments:
Cameron, I love the "HEY YOU" story. I read it to my whole family and everyone burst out laughing. I had two dads growing up. My favorite memory with my biological dad was listening to his stories of life growing up in Memphis, TN (sweat dripping summers, nights glittering with fire flies, encounters with Elvis, being chased by farmers with shotguns after stealing gourds). My favorite memory/regular activity with my step dad was wrestling and climbing on him like a monkey. The first time we met, I was 7. I climbed on him the entire get-together. Later on, I learned that one of the reasons he felt good about marrying my mom was because of the connection he felt with me. Tomorrow will be celebrated with a traditional family brunch in our backyard. Thank you, Cameron for bringing to mind these memories. ~Land
My father died when I was 26, and not yet a parent myself. To this day, I miss his humor, his charm, and his willingness to tell anyone who would listen how much he loved my mom. There are two quotes that I remember that he used constantly...
"The greatest gift a father can give his children is to love their mother."
and
"Luck is that which happens when preparedness meets opportunity."
I know he watches over me to this day, now I am a parent and grandparent... Miss you dad!
Sniff - what a gorgeous tribute, Cameron. I hope you give a copy to your father along with his card. He'll treasure it forever. My favorite memory of my step-father (who is my "real dad" for all intents) is that he taught me to speak English. I've made a life around that skill. I wish I could explain to him how important that is - but he's of an age where he doessn't really "get" a lot of things anymore. Now is the time to share those thoughts and feelings, before they get too old to know what you're blubbering about. Happy Father's Day to all the pops out there - and everyone who is a true father at heart. You know who you are. :)
My Dad taught me the value of education, the best way to treat people, how to shake hands, how to tell a good story, the value of giving back, what matters most in leadership, how to fight for what you believe in, and that family is forever. I have so many wonderful memories of my dad: making the rounds to visit my relatives on Saturdays, getting hot wieners in Olneyville, helping him on countless campaign trails (Senator Pell, Senator Kennedy, Representative Schneider, Senator Reed, Mondale/Ferraro, Dukakis/Bentson, etc.), going scavenger hunting on State Beach in Edgartown, watching (a lot) of great shows on our black & white TV, etc. My heart is full of love and gratitude for my Dad, and I'm so happy I get to share him now with my children. Thank you for the evocative, poignant post, Cameron.
There has never been a day that I was not proud of you, and your kind words reinforce my love for the first woman I loved at first sight.
I Love You,
Dad
That is such a lovely story! What a wonderful opportunity to be blessed with such a creative father! As a mother and a teacher of young children, I can just imagine the "Hey You." Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Monti
NotesAlongTheWay
When I was a little girl my eyes were very large. My dad told me people would stop me and ask "where did you get those eyes?". My dad taught me to reply to these remarks. One day, a man said, one again, "where did you get those eyes? I replied "They came with the head". The poor man almost fell over.
Post a Comment