Category: Adventures in being a dad

Dead Stop

My dad and I got on the 60 Freeway going east at about 5:00 pm one day. I was 16 and it was a driving lesson. Back then our family had an old Ford Econoline van and I was in charge of all it’s 5,000 pounds.
Traffic was light as I got on the road and I was having fun feeling the van taking speed as I pressed on the accelerator. I kept on looking down at the Speedometer, proudly conscious the effect of my pressing foot and how it then moved the needle. I was so mesmerized that I didn’t really see the red lights in front of me and the traffic that had begun to stall. Right under the 710 freeway my father yelled at me to stop and by luck I found THE brake. The van’s wheels screeched and I felt my dad’s hands at my chest.

When we were stopped he looked at me for a while and then we had to move on. I didn’t drive again for a while and I can’t say I blame him.

Morning Chores

My favorite part of the morning wasn’t waking up relatively late to the hot coffee she re-heated for us, or the sausages topped with syrup, the steaming mount of colorful hash-browns mixed with ketchup or the eggs scrambled at my plate. Nope my favorite part was watching my son’s face grimace while doing his chore and cleaning out the chickens’ coop. Him yelling out “nasty” was a highlight in every sense of the word.

Bill comes Due

The first time I shelled out over $100 at a grocery store was at a Vons in Montebello. My girlfriend and I had just moved into a little one bedroom apartment (with a peeping site manager) and we needed to fill our hand-me-down fridge. I wasn’t happy! Fast forward 2 decades and how I long for them “cheaper” store runs. Don’t tell me about the bill when these kids turn to trends…my heart and wallet just can’t take it.

All Apologies

I owe an apology. To my parents because now that I think of it I didn’t give them enough moments of sheer terror like my children do. Did I charge the camera? Do I need to move meetings around? How will I navigate the sea of parents also trying to get a picture? Does she know I’m here and I didn’t forget? I just wasn’t that kind of student. Luckily (for my mom at least) her grandchildren succeed where I didn’t and I don’t might riding their coat-tails a bit.

Shave and a Haircut

We practiced it! “I need a Number 3 around with a fade and long sides. Half the length a top from what I have now and please thin it out. I wear it spiky!” Now I’m watching my boy holding as still as he can on the chair as the clippers drop bits of hair on his nose he’s dying to itch. Funny how in just minutes he’ll look older and taller. Thanks Mr Barber Man.

Righteous Indignation

Even from the farthest and most opposite side of the house (with the laundry machine on) there’s a certain tone of voice that tells THIS dad that an ensuing argument is manifesting. With righteous indignation I stomp towards their room ready and prepared to hand out swift justice. On the approach I hear my oldest tell my youngest that “you don’t always get what you want but if you play nice you may get what you need.” 
Stunned I wait and then the game commences again quietly. I step back and away slowly from their door…they did the work for me and I have nothing to add.

Who’s the Boss

Now some may disagree but I happen to be a pretty good manager of things.
Under my watch my clients are kept up to date on their home purchases, kids are picked up from camp, laundry gets done, dogs get petted, and I even get some time to draft snappy little blog posts to all y’all.

That’s all great but some of it seems a little empty when the Torres Family CEO is not here at headquarters overlooking…and though I am proud to see her travel for work I am looking forward to that moment she sets foot back at Casa Torres so we can chill and watch some Netflix together.

Gray Matter

You see a photo and you wonder…you’re no longer the cute boy with sleek abs, tanned chest, muscled thighs and a plucky thesis research paper. Now you’re the dude that needs to make sure the olde land mower is working, that remains sensitively steadfast in a fast changing political/material world and who somehow remains the apple of the eye of those who matter most. 
You are tough, but sensitive. You are nerdy but cool. You are a hero but the heel who lays down the law. You’re a DAD and you do the best you can and hope one day over some BBQ you’ll overhear them saying. “Man you should have known my pop back in the day….”

A Fairy Accounting

Some days just turn on a dime and this afternoon I had to mange a fairly detailed and emotional audit.

Seem that because of the hectic nature of the last few days there were a few but significant miss-entries in the ledger. It’s all sorted out now and our accounting is reconciled but to imagine that this whole thing started because someone lost a tooth yesterday, the tooth-fairy made a late night deposit and we’ve been trying to teach the kids the pragmatism of keeping a check-book.

When I was a kid

When I was a kid I wanted to be zapped by a lazer and get super powers. When I was a thirteen I wanted to use my own Transformer to fight bad guys. When I was a young adult I wanted to write the great American novel. When I turned 18 I wanted to drive somewhere far far away! 
As I take stock now I’d like to think that I DID become a bit of hero to at least a couple of young minds, that I take effort to do right for myself and others, that my little bursts of writing inspire some and that road trips with my family are the best stress-reliever in the world. ?#
Perspective…that’s a super power que no?