I’ve been passed the point of really trying to impress someone for a long time now. It’s a nice thing to be able to be yourself. I would like to think that it is something that comes with maturity but I think it has more to do with having kids.

Kids have a way of seeing right through any image you may be trying to project. It hit me several years ago when I was trying to convince my third son that I was “Super Dad.” He just shook his head in disgust and said, “Dad, you’re just a plain ol’ dad.” I was shocked. It was probably true but he didn’t need to say it.

My daughter keeps me humble just in case I forget I’m a plain old dad. She came home the other day telling us about a soldier that visited her class who had been shot in the neck. I told her that I had been shot before. (It was a hunting accident when I was 15.) She quickly dismissed it by reminding me that I got shot in the leg while her classroom visitor got shot in the neck. Apparently only plain old dads get shot in the leg. Super Dads get shot in the neck.

Actually, I don’t mind being a plain old dad. I think they say that in part because I’m accessible to them. I’m not some mysterious stranger who comes to their house with fantastic tales of adventure. It is kind of like that favorite toy that they’ve had since they were toddlers. They might drop it when something new and shiny come along but it isn’t long before they’re scurrying back to their old standby. Being a plain ol’ dad is just alright with me.

© 2006-2008 Zanesville United Brethren Church