timwaller.com » parenting

How to Be a Cool Parent.

Tim — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:10:14 +0000

It was Father’s Day in Folly Beach. The girls had been promising to buy me an “awesome” gift. But three days into the family vacation, we were hemorrhaging money like there was no tomorrow. What this dad needed was a cheapie gift. Something in the $5.99 range.

Enter Mr. John’s Beach Store.

Hippyesque wristband.

Surprisingly, I was the one who found the leather bracelet with the faux Native American stone attached to it. I was off in a corner killing time because I knew the girls would be awhile. As it happened, when I picked up the bracelet, my oldest daughter rounded the corner and said, “Dad, that bracelet would look awesome on you. Try it on!”

“Me? You want me to try on this bracelet?”

So I did.

By this time, my wife had also shown up and agreed that the bracelet was “just what I needed.” Knowing what a boring, straight-laced person I am, she said, “You can just wear it at the beach if you want to. But I think you should get it, you know, for the girls.” I agreed, but needed the opinion of one more girl. The one who would “give it to me straight” without mincing words.

Claudia. Age 13.

I found her on the T-shirt aisle. She was eyeballing a tie-dye Folly Beach T-shirt with some cute phrase on it. (I can’t remember what it said.) I had a pretty good feeling I’d be buying that shirt before the Mr. John’s Beach Store party was over. The least she could do was give me her honest opinion on the bracelet.

“Claudia, does this bracelet make me look cool?”

She looked down at my wrist, then looked back up at me.

“Yes, if I didn’t know who you were, I would say that bracelet is very cool.”

Pause.

“What if you did know me? Would it still be cool?” I asked.

I could see a smile forming on her lips.

“Dad, I’m just saying that I do know you, and I happen to know you are not cool. That’s all.”

I bought the bracelet anyway, and wore it throughout our vacation. It’s been on my dresser ever since we’ve been back, but today I slipped it on for the fun of it. If I forget to take it off and you see me out somewhere wearing it, pretend you don’t know me.

You might think I’m cool.

Who's cool in this picture?

The View from My Refrigerator.

Tim — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:33:47 +0000

Driving to work this morning, I saw another bumper sticker that says, “My child is an honor student.” It’s a fact, we parents love to brag about our children.

So, please, permit me to do the same.

Unnamed oil painting by my daughter.

This is what greets each member of my family as we open our refrigerator and reach for the milk. It’s an original oil painting by my oldest daughter, who is a visual arts student at the high school she attends. She would kill me if she knew I was posting it here! “Painting,” she says, “is not my forté,” and she doesn’t think it’s very good.

I do. So does my wife. So does everyone who walks in my home and looks around. Our house is full of paintings, sculptures and metalworks that our second-year art student has created seemingly with no effort at all. The funny thing is, she has no interest in becoming an artist, at least professionally. She’s considering a career in medicine, with art as a side-hobby.

That way, she can pay her bills, and take the “starving’ out of artist!

Trash In, Trash Out.

Tim — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:08:36 +0000

If the TV thing doesn’t work out, I may have a future in food services. Recently, my wife and I volunteered our “talents” at Wade Hampton High School’s spaghetti dinner fundraiser. This and other events helped raise $150,082.36 for Camp Spearhead in Upstate, South Carolina.

The only thing that isn’t clear is how we got stuck with garbage duty!

Tin Grin!

Tim — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:11:25 +0000

Here’s a photo I’ve been toting around on my Blackberry for more than a month. It’s my youngest daughter getting braces on her teeth. And not just braces…colored braces! She went with a combination of pink and purple. What dads (and moms) won’t do for their daughters!

Getting wired!