My Less-Than-Perfect Dad

He wasn't a perfect man. I saw him lose his temper and get really upset when people refused to see things his way. I think I might have even heard him say the "d" word one time when he was working on the car and dropped a tool. Whatever he said, I do remember he told me not to tell my mother, but as much as I would like to pretend I always obeyed and/or could keep a secret, I'm going to be honest and say that I'm positive that I went directly inside and told my mom exactly what he had said. I'm not certain she ever addressed the issue, but I am confident I never heard another ugly word come from my Daddy's mouth.

I remember him escorting me out of church as I screamed, "No, Daddy, No! I'll be good, Daddy, I'll be good!" I remember his spankings that I undoubtedly earned! But I also remember the time he spanked me for something he thought I had done but hadn't. And I remember how he came to me, broken, telling me that he had made a mistake, one that earned me months, maybe even years, of free passes. =)

After dinner, on any given evening, he would ask one of us to help take off his boots (It seems we felt this was an honor and even fought over it at times, I'm hoping I remember that wrong.). Then, in the middle of my mom's tidy living room floor, Dad would entertain us as he transformed into the tickle monster or the claw. He could pen us all down at the same time which convinced me that he was the strongest man in the world. We would giggle until we saw stars and our faces hurt. But my favorite evening/weekend game with Dad involved his dirty socks which he would roll into a ball and pitch to us. As we swung our arms, knocking the sock-ball across the living room, we would run the "bases" which were designated pieces of furniture. One of Mom's trinkets would usually call for the game/playtime to end as it shattered to the ground. Then, as a team, we'd repair the damages with a bottle of Elmer's Glue.

I learned innumerable lessons from my less-than-perfect dad, but some of the greatest lessons he taught me were in the mistaken spanking and in the broken trinkets. For in the mess ups were life lessons about failure, forgiveness, and restoration.

He wasn't a perfect man. In fact, he may not have been the perfect dad, but I am certain that he was the perfect dad for me.

For my less-than-perfect dad, his less-than-perfect daughter is oh-so-grateful!