#GirlDad

My dad was a #girldad and he rocked it. He had three daughters with a variety of interests and talents and he supported them all. Unconditional love. One of my favorite series of memories is sneaking out of bed on school nights to watch late Monday Night Football games with him.  He loved it. I loved it more.

He loved football, fishing, ping pong, tennis, poker, solitaire, rook, pinochle, yard work, the beach and all things BAMA.  He was thrilled if we participated in or showed interest in any of those things . But he showed interest in anything that brought US joy.  He endured dance recitals, pageants, student-faculty basketball games, sleep-overs, birthday parties and more with patience and a smile on his face.

My dad was affectionate and a good listener. He was present. He loved to laugh.  He always told us how good we looked and expressed his pride in our accomplishments.  When I scratched the car up and locked myself in the bathroom, he was on the other side laughing.  It’s just a car, honey.  It’s just a car.

When he and my uncles kicked the tires when inspecting a relative’s new car, his daughters didn’t necessarily “ get it” but we were happy he was happy.  When we gave him gifts, he truly loved them whether they were home-made or priceless.  He loved our pets and when they perished, he buried them.

He often surprised us.  He loved Andre Agassi, long hair and all. ( This was many years ago when Andre had hair.)   He respected his talents and his individuality.  I bought him an Andre t-shirt and he wore it proudly.  He would willingly wear anything we gave him, whether we made it in home-economics class or not.  He acted surprised when opening yet another necktie or  poorly camouflaged tennis racket.

My dad was sensitive to our needs and the needs of others.  He actively participated in civic groups and taught us responsibility and caring.  He was empathetic and sincere. He was the real deal. He was authentic.

The guy bought more dolls and stuffed animals than elves produced at the North Pole.  He bought medicinal ice cream cones and wiped tears with his handkerchief.  We cried on his shoulders and bled on his shoulders when we experienced real scrapes.  We sat in his lap.

My dad took us fishing and shared that holy place with us.  He baited our hooks and de-boned our fish when he fried them later.  He played football and basketball with us.  He slaughtered us in ping-pong but managed to do it in a gentle way.

He took us ( and my mom) to  Disney World, Silver Springs, Panama City Beach, Daytona Beach, Cypress Gardens, Six Gun Territory and more in Florida for family vacations.  He jumped waves and bought floats, beach balls and snow cones.

My dad was fearless.  He handled all things that go bump in the night.  He killed spiders. Big spiders. Enormous spiders.

He taught us to be independent and self-reliant. He showed us integrity and work ethic. He taught us the spirit of competition. He didn’t believe in discrimination of any kind. My dad was a #girldad .