Happy Father's Day, Dad

The right guidance at the right time can guide your child's life path. Though you might not know it until decades later.

When I turned 9 in 1978, my dad gave me a dictionary. It was inscribed as follows:

“Dear Jennifer, Almost all the words are here; the secret is to use them in the right places and at the right times. Love Daddy. On your 9th birthday. 1978.”

I still have the dictionary. And I still remember exactly what he wrote. I can recite it from memory. I’ve done my best to know the right words, and to use them at the right times. I use a lot of semicolons too, for better or for worse, so perhaps that well placed semicolon sunk in too!

The fact that I still have the dictionary — more for the inscription than the words inside — is a testament to the power of dads, to using the right words at the right time with your kids, providing the right guidance when it matters.

As I often say, I’m “a word person,” and I get that from my dad. When I had to write papers in elementary school, he would read them. He usually said something like:

Very good. Now make it shorter. Can you say it with fewer words?

And I was off to do my 3rd grade book report best to be more concise.

We all fail sometimes. We use the wrong words in anger or we fail to speak up at all out of fear. But his words are often in my head when I choose to speak up on something of consequence.

I’m certainly guilty of choosing the wrong words sometimes, too. As we all are. But his words stuck with me and I try to find them and use them, even if there is personal cost at times.

The moments we remember are telling. And these words my dad offered up to me when I turned 9 have been a driving force in my life. I can see that now. Though, of course, neither of us knew that would be the case at the time.

So thanks Dad. Thanks for the words and the guidance. And happy Father’s Day!

We share a love of salty snacks, books, hoagies and the perfect turn of phrase. 2 kids, 7 grandkids and still going strong at 83. Love you.

And a reminder to all the great dads out there, You’re Not Toxic!