To Be the Perfect Dad
When I would get caught in a lie
His hand was often firm
When I would fail to do my chores
His voice was all too stern
When I would fuss and moan and groan
At the green things on my plate
He’d sigh and give me one hard look
That said ‘trouble now awaits’
When I’d steal from his jar of coins
He’d let me have it good
When I’d be late for suppertime
He’d throw away my food
When I would get in vicious brawls
With my siblings, any one
He’d knock our heads together once
To end our ugly fun
Yes, my nose was often on the wall
My bum was rosy red
I did more chores than I could count
His rules I’d often dread
And now some twenty five years later
I ponder back to then
And all the times we had together
The whos whats wheres and whens
Sure, I recall the harder things
The ones I used to hate
But I remember much more vividly
That he was my playmate
I remember we’d load up and go
To the lake just up the road
And a half an hour in or so
His fishing pole I would hold
Right away it’d give a tug
There was something now attached
I’d reel in a whopper fish
That feeling had no match
And he’d lament and howl and cry
How he had the worst of luck
Cause every time my pole he’d give
It was I who pulled one up
He never let on, not even once
That it all was one big ploy
To make me feel like king of the world
It gave him so much joy
And other times I’d start to hurt
From the laughter and the fun
As he’d grab me like a big ol’ bear
Ready to have his lunch
And when my legs would ache and cramp
Cause I was growing way too fast
He’d stay up late into the night
Rubbing them till it passed
Yes, he was strict and sometimes mean
I always knew my place
But he also was kind and soft and gentle
With a smile across his face
And in-between it all, it’s true,
He made me be a man
He taught me what life’s all about
He taught me where to stand
He taught me how to work real hard
But also how to play
He taught me how to make my own way
He taught me how to pray
And now that I have a five year old
Just like my old man used to have
I realize just how hard it is
To be the perfect dad
And so just like the man before me
I’ll just do my very best
And hope that what my son remembers
Is the good times, not the rest
Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing
PS. What are the greatest lessons you learned from your dad growing up? What are some of your greatest memories of your dad this Father’s Day?
