Due to a Monday commitment, which is the day I usually write my blog, I am sitting at my computer Sunday morning contemplating what to write about. I have already been reminded that it is Father’s Day by my two daughters who have sent their well-wishes and will visit later in the day. They have both made my wife and I very proud as both successful citizens, employees (one in hospital management and the other as an ultrasound technician), and, most importantly, excellent parents. And they, for me, are what makes my Father’s Day enjoyable and special. They are the “end products” of what my wife did as a mother and, in some fashion, what I did as a father.
When we sit around the kitchen table, which we do quite often, conversation often turns to those moments when I did not do such a good job. I vividly remember keeping Natalie from going to her first school dance because she could not find her music book when her instructor came to the house for weekly music lessons. His trip was a wasted one, and it became obvious that Natalie had not practiced all week. It also was the night of her first dance. I laid down an ultimatum- if she didn’t find the book; she couldn’t go to the dance that night. After hours of tears and frustration, the book was not found and she did not go to the dance. I felt terrible, but I hoped that she learned a lesson. The next morning the music teacher called to tell me that he had Natalie’s book in his briefcase – he had accidently taken it home with him the week before.
When Christine was working in banking, she was to go to a seminar in the Poconos. She wanted to do what other employees were going to do, take her boyfriend with her because there was going to be time for socialization. My wife and I were not comfortable letting our unmarried daughter go away for the weekend with this young man (my, how times have changed). It created an uncomfortable moment for us with our daughter, the young man, and his parents. And, of course, they stayed together and are now married.
These are just two examples of many where I screwed up as a father. I am quite proud, however, that we made the girls work throughout high school, got them involved in extracurricular activities, and taught them to do the right thing. They never let us down.
My own father died in his early sixties, but he worked hard to financially support his family, cheered his four children on in all that we did, and made us responsible for our actions. He was certainly my role model.
So, as I sit here on Father’s Day morning, knowing that gifts are forthcoming and a nice card and a little more precious time to reminisce once again about fatherhood, I really believe that this day should be more about a father’s children. They, more than anything, are the true measure of what Father’s Day is all about.
And, because that is my mindset, I will thoroughly enjoy this day.
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
- The RCN-TV crew spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at Penn State this past week in order to do the statewide broadcast of the PIAA baseball championships for PCN. Due to the weather, two of the games scheduled for Thursday were postponed until Friday. We normally would do all four games in one day. This was one of the few times that the crew was glad to see rain. Two games one day and two games the next is a much more enjoyable experience for all of us. Four games in one day is not an enjoyable experience.
- Since we were at State College, we were not all that far away from Oakmont, where the US Open was being played in Pittsburgh. The USGA was faced with the same weather problems on Thursday, but somehow they logistically figured it all out to get everyone back on track by Sunday afternoon. Now that is a scheduling nightmare, but it got accomplished.
- If you do not like golf or golf broadcasts, you should, at least, respect the honesty of the players. Shane Lowry who was leading the US Open as I write this, called a one-stroke penalty on himself on Saturday because as he addressed his ball to putt on the 16th green, the ball moved ever so slightly. He did not touch it, but it did move. He stopped play, called over an official, explained the rule violation and took the one-stroke penalty. If he doesn’t win, let’s hope he does not lose by a stroke.
- Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors has threatened to cut off the WiFi in his house to keep his wife Ayesha from tweeting. She tweeted that the NBA was rigged for money after Game Six, when her husband fouled out. I’m sure the NBA frowned on that.
- Watch Blue Mountain League baseball every Tuesday for the next six weeks on RCN-TV. It’s good baseball played by guys who play for fun and love the game.
