Sunday, June 18, 2006
Sunday June 18, 2006 - Year 4, Day 90 - thumbday
7C/46F, chilled air from last evening’s rain greet blazing sunshine; Gusta oblivious as walked around the lagoon – I was miles & years away – thumb thinking going on
primates have many distinguishing features that set us aside from other creatures – the opposable thumb key among them
as babies we suck on our own, later these special digits become invaluable tools
it helps us get a grip on thing, we use it daily for hitting the space bar on the keyboard among thousands of mindless things, yet we would be lost without them
hitching a ride could not happen without one; sticking the tabs in place on a disposable diaper impossible without one
someday, Sunday, big thumb day
these are not the words of a lisping child
fathers, dads, granddads – we all know what big thumbday is
babies & their own thumbs have a special connection, but what about that connection with their father’s thumb?
in just 30 seconds; we go from being expectant father to ‘father’ quickly forgetting the 30 seconds of creation followed by 9 months of preparation & many hours observing heavy labour
immediately this is it – 2 thumbs up time!
we are not so much created as fathers as we are plunged immediately into it
all over the world this morning – just as many old fathers will die – so too babies with tiny fingers are born
every day, new fathers (with big thumbs) are created
we reach that point of fatherhood having made only the tiniest of contributions
we have not carried life inside us for 9 months, we have not had hormonal changes, we have not been transformed into a walking-talking lactation machine
we have been waiting - just sitting on our thumbs with no real clue about what is to come
we have no idea that the most important thing we have to offer our child will be the very thumbs we are sitting on
we do not go to school to learn fatherhood; babies do not come with an owner’s manual or instructions printed in 3 languages
they are ‘assemble it yourself packages’ from IKEA for the young man with no idea what to do next; more than IKEA, the operative word is IDEA
we had no sweet clue what it would mean to be a father, how it would work, what it would mean; we have no idea
there is no better thing to do in life than to bring up a child – I’ve often said this as flippantly as if it were a slogan, or said it as seriously as I ever say anything
nearly 55 yrs ago my father became one because of me - a little over 28 yrs. ago I entered the brotherhood of fatherhood; we are not a fraternity that holds meetings but yet we seem to have uncommon of strong bonds of understanding
father & child have a special bond too that is hard to describe
fathers, are you like me? do you sometimes find yourself driving the shopping cart down the aisle where baby products sit ready on the shelf, just cruising through, but slowing down sometimes with a smile on your face
when I see pureed peas or apple sauce, when I see zinc ointment & baby shampoo & all the rest – that is when I smile quietly, walking just a little bit slower in respect & honour of those early days
slower, respectfully, reflectively remembering those precious moments when we held those innocent little lives for the first times, when we changed, fed, burped & rocked our sleepless nights away
away, it goes away, it fades but never leaves
we fathers rationalize our contribution as being significant; pale compared to the nurturing, fatigue & role mothers play in terms of labour in its many forms as they ensure babies survive, have lunches in their bags & go out of the door each day with matching clean clothes
we, meanwhile, often sit on our thumbs more than we play an active role – we smile upon our work, brag about them, teach them to ride a bike & swell with pride each time they stroll up an aisle to collect a ribbon or a diploma
we watched them grow & play & succeed at life; when they scored a goal or did something special, how many times did we give them the ‘thumbs up’ signal ?
my memories are mostly of being dad to Carla & Krista; my dad’s memories are probably strongest of being grand-dad to Carla & Krista
things were different way back then in an era like so many before it when being a tender caring father who touched, talked to & held his babies close was simply not done
fathers, dads, granddads – we have come a long way
mostly we still have the best thing of all – a big thumb
you know, a big thumb
a child needs a big thumb to hold onto, a father to hold onto
they need a grandfather to hold onto, that thumb is a strong connnection
those tiny fingers can wrap around it, grip it
a prop for early shaky steps, an anchor on the hand they grow up to shake
when most of us dial a phone to speak with our fathers today we use fingers for dialing – not our thumbs, they are special purpose tools best saved for work with small children
trite to say ‘offer a child a hand’
first, give them your thumb
Mark
primates have many distinguishing features that set us aside from other creatures – the opposable thumb key among them
as babies we suck on our own, later these special digits become invaluable tools
it helps us get a grip on thing, we use it daily for hitting the space bar on the keyboard among thousands of mindless things, yet we would be lost without them
hitching a ride could not happen without one; sticking the tabs in place on a disposable diaper impossible without one
someday, Sunday, big thumb day
these are not the words of a lisping child
fathers, dads, granddads – we all know what big thumbday is
babies & their own thumbs have a special connection, but what about that connection with their father’s thumb?
in just 30 seconds; we go from being expectant father to ‘father’ quickly forgetting the 30 seconds of creation followed by 9 months of preparation & many hours observing heavy labour
immediately this is it – 2 thumbs up time!
we are not so much created as fathers as we are plunged immediately into it
all over the world this morning – just as many old fathers will die – so too babies with tiny fingers are born
every day, new fathers (with big thumbs) are created
we reach that point of fatherhood having made only the tiniest of contributions
we have not carried life inside us for 9 months, we have not had hormonal changes, we have not been transformed into a walking-talking lactation machine
we have been waiting - just sitting on our thumbs with no real clue about what is to come
we have no idea that the most important thing we have to offer our child will be the very thumbs we are sitting on
we do not go to school to learn fatherhood; babies do not come with an owner’s manual or instructions printed in 3 languages
they are ‘assemble it yourself packages’ from IKEA for the young man with no idea what to do next; more than IKEA, the operative word is IDEA
we had no sweet clue what it would mean to be a father, how it would work, what it would mean; we have no idea
there is no better thing to do in life than to bring up a child – I’ve often said this as flippantly as if it were a slogan, or said it as seriously as I ever say anything
nearly 55 yrs ago my father became one because of me - a little over 28 yrs. ago I entered the brotherhood of fatherhood; we are not a fraternity that holds meetings but yet we seem to have uncommon of strong bonds of understanding
father & child have a special bond too that is hard to describe
fathers, are you like me? do you sometimes find yourself driving the shopping cart down the aisle where baby products sit ready on the shelf, just cruising through, but slowing down sometimes with a smile on your face
when I see pureed peas or apple sauce, when I see zinc ointment & baby shampoo & all the rest – that is when I smile quietly, walking just a little bit slower in respect & honour of those early days
slower, respectfully, reflectively remembering those precious moments when we held those innocent little lives for the first times, when we changed, fed, burped & rocked our sleepless nights away
away, it goes away, it fades but never leaves
we fathers rationalize our contribution as being significant; pale compared to the nurturing, fatigue & role mothers play in terms of labour in its many forms as they ensure babies survive, have lunches in their bags & go out of the door each day with matching clean clothes
we, meanwhile, often sit on our thumbs more than we play an active role – we smile upon our work, brag about them, teach them to ride a bike & swell with pride each time they stroll up an aisle to collect a ribbon or a diploma
we watched them grow & play & succeed at life; when they scored a goal or did something special, how many times did we give them the ‘thumbs up’ signal ?
my memories are mostly of being dad to Carla & Krista; my dad’s memories are probably strongest of being grand-dad to Carla & Krista
things were different way back then in an era like so many before it when being a tender caring father who touched, talked to & held his babies close was simply not done
fathers, dads, granddads – we have come a long way
mostly we still have the best thing of all – a big thumb
you know, a big thumb
a child needs a big thumb to hold onto, a father to hold onto
they need a grandfather to hold onto, that thumb is a strong connnection
those tiny fingers can wrap around it, grip it
a prop for early shaky steps, an anchor on the hand they grow up to shake
when most of us dial a phone to speak with our fathers today we use fingers for dialing – not our thumbs, they are special purpose tools best saved for work with small children
trite to say ‘offer a child a hand’
first, give them your thumb
Mark
341,796
