dad

My dad reads a ton of books. At any given time he will have no less than 3 books either on the table outside on their back patio, near his couch upstairs in the bedroom or around his desk. If I am ever stumped on what to buy him for his birthday I can always get him a book and I know he'll read it, especially if it's about war and/or history.


I was at my parents house this past weekend and we all ended up out in the garage where the little boys could play with all of Grandpas tools and 'stuff'. My dad had piles of books out there in the garage. All of which he had read. Some were history, some were self-help, some instructional books. Most of them looked to be at least 30 years old. These are his old books. Books that he's had since college. Books that he bought during what I bet was his mid-life crisis. (I of course took some of those home with me) The covers have funny early 70's photography and graphics. The pages were turning brown.


{mid-life crisis books...and my mom's Vanderbilt's Book of Etiquette, a gift from her mother-in-law}


As I flipped through several of his college books on finances and banking I came across 'Intermediate Algebra'. Egh, I get chills just thinking about the subject. My dad was so hard on me about my lack of understanding math in school. We would get in screaming matches over why I should or shouldn't study my long division. I didn't understand until I was older that he wanted me to do well in math because he hated it so much and had such a hard time at it himself. He felt he had 'failed' the subject, he sees a lot of me in him so if I failed it would be like him failing all over again and we all know not doing well with long division in school makes you a bad person. I joke about it now but he was dead serious about wanting to see me succeed for his sake, I completely understand. I have an even deeper appreciation for his hatred of the subject after reading this:


{by: PHB note his phone number at the top!}
Of all of the things I have seen my dad do and accomplish, of all of the things that I have learned about him over the years...this is in my top 5 favorites now. I can only imagine him at 21 or 22 writing this in frustration and can only imagine him seeing me fight the same battle with math. God I hope Espen get's it!!