Cool Daddy

I’m reminded of a moment-full event from this past summer.  And in case you were wondering what makes a Daddy cool, I figured I’d better share it with you.

The family was out for a drive.  I don’t remember where to.  But I remember it was one of those hot days we had in late July.  The gum in my mouth was getting old.  For no reason at all I turned toward the passenger side, noticed Amy’s window down about halfway, and spit my chewy morsel across the van, right in front of Amy’s nose, and out the window.  Amy grinned and fell a bit deeper in love with me.  I grinned back.

But in that instant Livia, our youngest at 4 years old, blurted out in jovial wonder from the seat right behind me…

“OH WOW DADDY, You’re Cool!”

She must have seen the whole thing!  I glanced at her in the rearview mirror.  She was smiling from ear to ear, as though we just bought a cotton candy machine or something. 

Realizing a statement like that will be worth millions of dollars when my kids are teenagers I did a quick inventory so as to reproduce it for similar accolade in 10 years.  Here’s the quick list, in case you were curious…

1.       Spit with laser like aim.  You may need to practice this without a passenger sitting next to you.

2.       Fashionable shades.  I happened to be wearing my “trendy-two-years-ago” aviator glasses.

 

3.       A hip hat.  I like a throwback adjustable baseball cap worn to the front (or it hits my headrest).

4.       No air conditioning.  Forget the dry cool air.  Choose economical and roll the windows down. 

 

5.       Make noise.  Turn up some tunes the kids can bob their heads and sing along to.

6.       Lots of bass.  Stock audio systems in minivans bump.  Crank the full level. 

For the record, I haven’t been able to reproduce the scene yet.  I’ve tried a couple times.  Amy’s ended up with gum in her lap.  No matter though.  Livia still thinks I’m cool.