Tuesday
Dad? That's New
Since I met my son at the age of five, he has called me by my first name. I wasn't sure if I had a problem with it. I wasn't sure if I had a right to have a problem with it. About four years ago, he began referring to me as his father, but he still called me by my first name and I still answered to it. The wife and I tied the knot and he and I were still on a first name basis with one another, which caused some relatives some difficulty. Long ago I told him he could call me Dad if he liked, but I didn't press it. My wife has pressed it several times, but she presses me on a lot so like all those other things I just pushed back.
After spending the summer in the much more mannered South, my son returned to New York answering us, "ma'am" and "sir" and now he calls me "Dad." It's heartwarming every time I hear it, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it's taking some getting used to. I don't even blink and answer him every time, but that's only because I think quickly on my feet. Interestingly enough my daughter screams, butchers and mangles all forms of the word Dad and Daddy and it sounds completely natural. Either way I'm happy to know I'm completely accepted at this point.
