Being an idiot father

"Few things are more satisfying than seeing your own children have teenagers of their own." -- Doug Larson

That line really gives fathers like me hope in one day getting even because right now during the teen years, we Dads feel helpless. At least, I do. Whatever wisdom comes from our mouth will be construed as the words of an idiot. About the only thing Dad can say that would remotely be construed as wise is how beautiful, kind and wise our children are. Beautiful, yes. Kind and wise, not always. At any rate, that's about where the border of my particular fatherly reach lies.

This evening there was a very intense conversation around driving privileges, slipping grades and driving with a broken car across the Rockies to a far off place. It was a battle of wills between mom and daughter on who could argue with the best skills. The conversation turned loud at times with threats of "I'm leaving whether you like it or not." Frankly, I was hoping that I would be the one leaving.

These are times in which I want to sometimes turn to my teen daughter and ask, “Who are you”? “What have you done to my daughter? But, I don't. I resist. She would just tell me that I should say nothing at all if I don't know what I'm talking about. Besides, the conversation has taken a turn for the better. Her Mom seems to be gaining ground.

I hope there will be a light at the end of the tunnel and that the light at the end is not the headlight of a train right before it hits. There is some point in a child's development that one just has to have faith that correct principles have been absorbed by osmosis, even though there is no evidence of such thinking at home. We can hope that one day when our children have children of their own, they just might realize that Mom and Dad aren't the complete idiots they thought we were, just half-idiots trying to do the best they could.

You parents out there, know what I mean?