This Perfect World
When my kids were still babies, they looked up at me and saw Perfect Daddy. Yes, that was me... The bravest, funniest, most handsome father in the universe. I had it goin' on.
If only that golden light of perfection was still upon me but, alas, those days are long gone. My kids now see me as Near-Perfect Daddy, who sometimes makes itsy-bitsy harmless mistakes that he doesn't really want to hear about for weeks on end.
So, after a wonderful afternoon at the beach today and the kids agreeing that it was one of the greatest days ever, we arrive at the car to discover that somebody had locked the keys inside. And by somebody I guess I mean me.
It was heart-wrenching to see the confused and disappointed looks on my kids' faces as they gradually realized that their father was an absent-minded klutz. But I still have a few bits of grey matter left and was able to react quickly, staving off any further clouding of my good name by announcing, "Kids, this perfect day should never end. Back to the beach!" Crisis averted.
An hour later, the locksmith arrives and we're on our way home. I'm thinking: Just how did I manage to lock the keys in the car?! And boy, do I hate looking stupid in front of my kids like that!
My son made me feel better when we got home: "Daddy, everybody makes mistakes. You just have to learn from them so it doesn't happen again."
I love it when they show me they've been listening all these years.
If only that golden light of perfection was still upon me but, alas, those days are long gone. My kids now see me as Near-Perfect Daddy, who sometimes makes itsy-bitsy harmless mistakes that he doesn't really want to hear about for weeks on end.
So, after a wonderful afternoon at the beach today and the kids agreeing that it was one of the greatest days ever, we arrive at the car to discover that somebody had locked the keys inside. And by somebody I guess I mean me.
It was heart-wrenching to see the confused and disappointed looks on my kids' faces as they gradually realized that their father was an absent-minded klutz. But I still have a few bits of grey matter left and was able to react quickly, staving off any further clouding of my good name by announcing, "Kids, this perfect day should never end. Back to the beach!" Crisis averted.
An hour later, the locksmith arrives and we're on our way home. I'm thinking: Just how did I manage to lock the keys in the car?! And boy, do I hate looking stupid in front of my kids like that!
My son made me feel better when we got home: "Daddy, everybody makes mistakes. You just have to learn from them so it doesn't happen again."
I love it when they show me they've been listening all these years.
Permalink posted by Phil at 12:58 AM
3 Comments:
Don't feel too bad, they will always think-though they won't always admit-that their daddy is great. I'm 20 years old and I still think my dad is the greatest, most caring, most important dad in the world. Without him, I'd be a different person.
I've done that three times in front of my now 13 year old daughter in 7 years or so. Also left the lights on a couple of times, killing my battery...
One time of accidently locking the Bronco with the motor running...(the locks on the inside of the door got bumped to lock) and I found a place to put a hidden key. Maybe you can do that... for the next time... and there will be a next time. I didn't do it...I didn't do it... lol ... but Sweetie did.
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