A Dad's Love

by: Charlotte Spears

     On the eve of my dad's birthday I want to sit down and write about what a very special person he has always been in my life. I realize that I could truly write pages and pages and still have more to tell, but I will try not to ramble too much. I guess that it is fair to say that I am a daddy's girl and have been one from the very beginning.

     I was born in December and was only eleven days old on my first Christmas, my dad insisted that I should have a doll under that tree and he made sure and bought me a real cute one with a blue polka dotted dress, and no small parts that I could get hurt on when I was old enough to play with her. He was always thinking of the little things that are so important to us girls. He could always find just the right words to say when life was really getting me down.  He worked very hard for our family and was not always home as much as he would liked to have been. Come Saturday morning my brother and I could look forward to having him all to ourselves.   
 

     I remember getting up really early on those days, sometimes before mom and dad, though they were not too far behind me once they heard my little feet on the floor. The best old cartoons came on at that time of day and I did not want to miss even one. Daddy would fix us breakfast and my, did it smell good cooking on the stove. Sometimes I would just want cereal, but once I got a whiff of the bacon, eggs and toast, I would quickly change my mind. He always put on the coffee in our old percolator for him and mom too. I can still hear it perking, not like the quiet machines we have today.

     After breakfast, dad would watch a few cartoons with us and play with us on the floor rolling and giggling like he was a big kid, too. In the summer he would push us on our swings and as we grew, he taught us to ride our bikes. Sometimes we would go on country drives and dad would teach us about the plants and the animals in the forest as we stopped to walk in the woods. I learned about all of the different trees and their leaves and can still tell a red oak from a white oak because of dad's botany lessons. There were also times when we would walk just up the street to the little store on the corner to get a small bag of penny candy.

This was one of my favorite times with my dad. This was also a good way to take time to teach us a little bit about money. Dad helped us to understand just how much candy a dime or a quarter would buy. I remember one summer in particular when my brother and I had the idea to have a little store in front of our house so that we could earn some spending money. We did not want to just sell lemonade; we wanted to have a store like the one on the corner. I had a new little toy cash register and really wanted to try it out. My dad took us over to the little store and he bought a couple of bags of chips and some large candy bars and packs of bubble gum. When we got home he showed us how to divide these things up into smaller bags and helped us to price them so that we could make a little "profit". I guess this was the start of my wanting to be an entrepreneur. Dad always taught us lessons by example so that we could see, hear and touch whatever it was we were learning about. I guess that is why his lessons always made such a lasting impression.

     There is so much more that I could say concerning my dad, my best friend. He has always been there for me even when I have done things that he might not have totally agreed with. He still continues to teach me things and to be there for me when I need a hug or just the right words. Happy Birthday, Daddy with love from your little girl.

Join Today