Delaney talks to the statues | News, Sports, Jobs

Tomorrow is marked on most calendars with the reminder that it is the day to celebrate and honor fathers, fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, foster fathers and godfathers. Tomorrow we celebrate Father's Day.

Times and circumstances (unfortunate death, separation and/or divorce, etc.) have changed since my generation as, unfortunately, there are far more single-parent homes, and that parent is usually the mother of the children living there. In some of those families, the father stays involved in the children's lives, stays involved in making sure that he does his part in supporting his children, and hopefully stays friendly with the mother of the children in supporting the children.

I had the privilege of living in a home with two parents, both of whom made sure that all of us living in our home were well fed, clothed, sheltered, cared for medically, spiritually, and that we took our education seriously. ours. They also taught us (at home), work ethic, commitment, dedication, responsibility, reliability, and any/all other life skills they felt we needed to know, to not only be productive people in the world, but also able to successfully take care of ourselves financially when the time came for us to move out on our own, perhaps marry and start a family of our own. They taught us about rules, expectations, accountability and consequences too. They made time to entertain us with outdoor activities, such as camping, picnics, ball games, going to a parade, a movie (theater and drive-in) and anything else that happened to be available to us as we grew up.

Some fathers had/have daughters, some sons, some both, so they had to understand who they were dealing with, when to react one way or the other and how to adapt to the differences and needs of both boys and their needs. Girls.

As it has often helped me in trying to be the best person (husband, teacher, colleague, coach, friend and parent) I can be, I turn to music and some lyrics that made sense to me when I heard them. and it gave me some “food for thought” as I go through the many roles I play/have played in my life every day. And as I have done many times, I turn to my favorite songwriting storyteller, sometime teacher and/or mentor, Jimmy Buffett, for ways to be a better parent, grandparent, and person too.

In 1994, Buffett released a song that he, Mac McAnally and Amy Lee Schwartzberg wrote for his album, Fruitcakes, about a relationship between a father and a daughter. The lyrics focus on the early part of his second daughter's life and are mostly based on him just watching her do the things she loved to do and be who she/he wanted to be in those early years. Every time I hear the song, I picture in my mind my son, Jon, playing with his two daughters on the floor outside, and he and Erica taking them to zoos, animal farms, children's museums, etc. I think Jimmy's daughter was about the average age of my granddaughters (about 4) when he wrote it. The title of that song is the title of this narrative, and the lyrics are…”

“Delaney talks to statues

As she dances around the pool

She chases cats through Roman ruins

And step on big sticks

She speaks a single language

That I cannot find out

But she knows that I love her very much

When I put it under the covers

Father, daughter

Down by the water

Shells sink, dreams float

Life is good on our boat

Delaney draws me pictures

She paints the sand with her finger

We chase dogs and jump like frogs

Then I do my bad attitude

She is growing up too fast for me

And I ask a lot of questions

Some know the answers

And some I'm looking for suggestions

Father, daughter

Born of water

Surf up, the sun goes down

Life in a beach town

And some of the things I've seen

Maybe she won't have to see

But there are many things I want to convey

This is handed to me

Delaney talks to the statues

And she dances around the pool

She chases cats through Roman ruins

And step on big sticks

She speaks a single language

A bit like her mother

But she knows that I love her very much

When I get him under those covers

Father, daughter

Down by the water

Shells sink, dreams float

Life is good on our boat

Shells sink, dreams float

Life is good on our boat”

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Jimmy Buffett / Mac McAnally / Amy Lee Schwartzberg

Relationships like the one described in these texts are very similar to the way we were raised in our home. We didn't have a boat, but I replaced the word “house” with “boat”. Basically, I learned from this song that, yes, fathers work hard to provide for their children, but beyond all the responsibilities of parenting, the little things, the time spent with us, and the things our father tried to teach us , more than lecturing us, were the particular things that mattered most to us, and later influenced us on what was important to be a parent. I hope I've made Dad as proud of our children's upbringing as I am of my son (and daughters too), who, in my biased but justified opinion, is a wonderful father to his two daughters. beautiful little ones. And to my dad, my father-in-law, my son, sons-in-law, brothers, nephews, uncles, cousins, grandchildren's godfathers, friends, colleagues, parents of former students and athletes, who are fathers. myself, thank you for influencing me in my role as a father. I wish you and all fathers wherever you are, Happy Father's Day tomorrow.

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