My Kids Aren’t Me, in Spite of Sharing the Same DNA

A Dad’s Point-of-View

by Bruce Sallan

I think the hardest lesson for me in becoming a parent was learning to let go of my expectations for my sons. Okay, I’ll be completely honest; I’ve only been able to partially let go of them. I think it’s impossible not to have some wishes for our kids, but the focus here is really on how we have specific things we hope they’ll like or do that often mirror our own interests or fantasies.

When I was a member of the Big Brother organization it had the unexpected effect of turning out to be a parenting prep course. The “Little” (the term for the kid you are matched with) I had was a young eight-year-old girl who totally didn’t like doing anything physical. This was before I was married, let alone before I became a parent. Read more

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Yesterday, I was laughing with my daughter about some of the funny stuff that  happened over the years.  The topic came up about some of the “tricky” situations that had occurred due to not having a female around to deal with certain issues.

The one that never fails to make us laugh is  when I was on my way home one night and my cell phone rang. “Dad, I am out of tampons.” Oh, great. This should be fun.

The first time you make this emergency run is always an adventure. It seems easy enough, until you hit the feminine hygiene isle at the supermarket. It must be 50 yards long!

Don’t ask me why, but for some reason I felt like the entire store was following me on the security camera.  I walked around a bit to gather myself. I was ready. Like on a combat mission, I was going in!

I checked out the different boxes, brands, and models. This felt  like being  at the car dealership, looking for just the right options.  Now I needed to make the call. Standing in front of the dizzying array of products, I talked softly into my cell phone, ” Which one do you need?  Lightdays, regular, super, compact?”

After I got that sorted out, she requests I get her some pads as well.  I go to that section and of course there is not just one pad selection! Again, the soft conversation as I looked around to make sure no one was listening. ” Do you need wings, lite days,  maxi?”

Once the selection was made, and I found myself carrying nothing but two feminine products, I realized that drastic action was needed. I don’t no why this was so uncomfortable. It’s not like the woman at the checkout  was going to think I was using these for myself. But for some reason I just felt self conscious.

As I approached the checkout isle, I found my solution.

Slowly riding down the conveyor, my two feminine products and a pack of  Juicy Fruit. Mission accomplished!

One last note. For a short time I did have a recurring nightmare. It usually ended hearing over the loudspeaker , ” Price check for Ultra  Compact Pads with Wings!”