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Congratulations, It's a Teenager
Waking Up One Day to Single Fatherhood By Rick March
: "I want you on that wall. I need you on that wall." We'd laugh and he'd try again.
Thank goodness for movies and TV because dialogue from things that have been entertaining for him made it easier for him to accept my message. When he was disrespectful (what a surprise in a teenager), I took no guff and barked, "You have no right to be sarcastic until you're 21," followed by, "Is that clear?" I would repeat that three-word phrase until he responded with the word, "Crystal." Thanks, Jack and Tom. (A Few Good Men what a flick.)
We bonded while we were watching some of the best "buddy" movies. And although they were horrible at the box office, we found something to laugh at in each one. And we laughed until we cried. There are still times today when a line from the Bruce Willis bomb Hudson Hawk will fit into a situation and one of us will spring it on the other. The coolest part about that is the fact that we know it's something special just for us no one else. In fact, he and I will laugh at things that some would say are inappropriate (I hate that word). Laughter is the world's best diversion.
So that's how I decided to do this instant dad thing, and that was two years ago. Have I made mistakes? You betcha. But I'll only make the same mistake twice, because after all, I am a man. Although there were some times when it was very tense and quiet "too quiet," in a Gary Cooper fashion Paul and I survive and even thrive. Most of all, we find a way to the lighter side.
