Sorry Dad

Families have myths and legends--stories they tell eachother over and over to help them make sense of their lives together. Like when David flew his airplane into Dad's rice and said "Sorrry, Dad." (This is said in a long drawn out sing-song with the tone dropping on the word 'Dad.' Forever after when someone did something in our family that irked my Dad we would, all or some of us seven kids, would say "Sorrry, Dad" hearkening back to the time of the plane in the rice:

So---
"Sorrrry Dad:"

• that I snuck out of the house (and church dances--I thought surely no one would notice my pump wedging the back door open) so much
• that I wrecked the Volvo (and the truck. . .etc)
• that I said that I wished I was born a Rockefeller
• that you didn't like any of my boyfriends that were named Shawn/Shaun
• that I changed my major on your dime
• that I repeated the joke "Knock knock. Who's There? Dwayne. Dwayne who? Dwayne da bafftub, I'm dwowning" ad nauseum
• that I'm not orthodox
• that I grew hips and didn't become a trackstar according to our plan when I was 9. (Did you let me beat you when we sprinted or did I win fair and square?)
• about bloodying your flesh as I clawed my way up and over your shoulder while trying to get away from Santa Claus.
• about saying "EEEeeewww!! There's so much blood!!" in front of your patient as you were performing a tooth extraction on her.
• that Sam, my showhorse (read moneypit) was a mentally unstable, crazy-eyed mountain of a thing who acted like everyday was his first day of training.
• that the bumper sticker on my car said "Put Something Exciting Between Your Legs, Ride An Arabian"
• that I gave you that "haircut" that one time (well you were in the Air Force at one point in your life, so a buzzcut was not a total anachronism even if that wasn't the hairstyle you had originally wanted.)
• that I peed the bed and had bad dreams so much
• that I moved far away and cant' see you when I want (this would be the only thing I'm really sorry about since all of the above, I tack up as the follies of youth.)

In Spite of it all, you have loved me. I love you back.

Happy Father's Day to you and all ya'll Dads who deal with your children's follies of youth.