fathers

A recollection.
When I was younger, we lived in Missouri. Dad was in the Air Force then, and had the assignment to be in the missile field for days, then home for days. During the same time, mom was trying to give pregnancy a repeat performance. She was taking lots of drugs and spending lots of time sick in bed as a result.
So when kindergarden came, with it came Field Trips [tm]. I remember one in particular; it was a train ride. There are things I can still remember about kindergarden. The workbooks. Mrs. White and Mrs. Snow and how funny it was to have Snow White in one class. I remember a wooden piece of furniture in the classroom, which if turned right side up was a bridge to climb, and turned upside down was a rocking boat. I'm pretty sure in this day and age it would be banned as too dangerous, so I'm glad I got the chance to play with it because I loved rocking in the boat. Anyway, there are lots of things I remember about that year. However, I couldn't tell you where we went on our train trip. I think the memory of Why was drowned out by the memory of How.
Dad went.
He was the only dad.
In a sea of moms.
We love that story to this day, how dad was in from the SAC field and took me, only to discover that he was Freak Dad of the Universe, with mothers whispering about him. Well, I imagine that part. I have a good imagination.
I don't remember if I noticed this or cared. Dad was still pretty amazing to me back then, because he could wave his fingers at the radio and the volume would go up and down. It took more time than I care to admit for me to realize that he was pinching the antennae against the metal frame of the car door with his other hand. Hey, I was a pretty smart kid. I mean I learned to read early and later I skipped a grade, but I just wasn't the type of kid to ferret out downright DECEPTION. I know what you're going to call that, but I call it TRUSTING.
Just saying.
Anyway, that and my dad putting his foot through the ceiling are probably my two favorite memories of him in those years. Because when your dad willingly does something for YOU that makes him look really out of place, it's almost as wonderful as seeing his size 10 foot come shooting through a ceiling. I say almost because in all honesty, you really can't beat seeing a foot shoot through a ceiling. I don't care who you are.
Since then, the list things he's done for me, things which made him look foolish, out of place, or downright silly, has gotten pretty long. And I think that's pretty neat. I may not remember all the Whys, but I will remember the Who. It was my dad. He has a pretty big foot, sure, but he also has a pretty big heart.
So if you're a dad, I want to wish you a Happy Father's Day. And one word of advice from someone who knows. Don't sweat looking really out of place every once in a while. Your kid will never forget it.

--Laura