Day 88: The Geek Hero

My First "Cool Dad" Moment

Over the weekend, I received the ultimate honor that could be bestowed on a father by his children. It happened in one glorious moment when my children said to me, “You are the coolest dad ever!”

From http://www.squidoo.com/fathers-days-day-gift-ideas-from-chloe-the-kangaroo

I soared with pride. I was beaming. (Where is my wife?! Of course she isn’t around to hear this!)

I’m sure all sorts of scenes are playing out in your head right now:

• A dad cracking a baseball over the fence with ease.
• A dad throwing a perfect spiral pass for the game winning touchdown.
• A dad scoring tickets to the biggest concert.

However, it was nothing like that. No, I was being heralded a hero because I had just beaten "World 1-3" on Super Mario Brothers Wii.

From https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/B002BRZ9G0.03.lg.jpg

For a second, I really did feel good about myself. 

Little did my daughters know that their dad had spent the better part of 1989-1994, otherwise known as “The Awkward Years”, playing video games. (Ages 10 to 15 can be so tough.) 

Yep, I still had it.

And then the reality of the moment sank in and I began my descent back to Earth. My kids thought I was cool because I could play a video game. That doesn’t even register in my mind when I think of "cool parents".

Looking back on my “cool dad” moment, I realized that I should be proud of what happened. Little moments like this build the strong relationships fathers have with their kids. These moment turn fathers into heros.

My father is a hero to me because he always works hard and he can fix anything. However, thinking of my dad as a hero didn’t happen over night. It wasn’t a single moment when he worked really late. It wasn’t a single moment when he fixed something that was seemingly impossible to fix. It was all of the moments when we spent time together working on a project or throwing the baseball around in the backyard. That’s what makes dads cool, and that’s what turns dads into heros.

My “cool dad” moment didn’t last long, but I am thankful for another opportunity to continue to build a strong bond with both of my daughters.