Dad and I headed to the Keys!

In honor of my Dad on Father’s Day, I post this story written by my Dad to his Great Grandchildren! Lauri and I have just returned home from dinner with my Mom and Dad. I love them so! I post a story of his about washing dishes. I hope you enjoy it!

Good things happen when you’re washing dishes with someone you love.

And bad things don’t.

Just yesterday at “Rib City” we saw this little ditty:

“No husband ever got shot doing dishes”.

The fact is your Great Grandpa, romanced your Great Grandma helping her do the dishes. I would sing her this little romantic ditty:

“Washing dishes with my sweetie at the kitchen sink,
Gosh I get so excited that I can hardly think!”

Then I’d kind of nuzzle her with a little kiss on the back of her neck. Heck, think whatever you want, it worked. I’ve been doing dishes ever since.

You can even have good man-to-man talks with your son, and maybe even a daughter, doing dishes. When your Grandpa or Uncle Steven Douglas Rowe was 6 or 7 years old, your Great Grandma was working afternoon and evenings at a department store to help put her hubby thru college.

Your Great Grandpa had to get supper for the boys, and Stevie was big enough to help with the dishes.

The thing is…doing dishes is a great time to talk with your kids, one on one. On that happy evening doing dishes, with Stevie just out of the blue he said: “Dad, isn’t boyhood wonderful!” “I guess so,” I responded, “but I think father-hood is pretty wonderful too”. “Yes Dad, but just think where you’d be if you never had a boyhood.” “Okay, but where would you be if I had never had a father-hood?

After a short pause, Stevie Douglas said: “Huh, I’d still be in my Mother-hood!”

That was one of my best talks with anyone about the “birds and the bees”. A person can learn a lot from his or her kids.

Maybe sometime I’ll tell you the story of what else and how I learned about the “facts of life”.

The thing is…I really just want you to learn to enjoy a lifetime of doing dishes. It was even more fun B.D.W. Back Before Dishwashers-I mean, the electric kind. Maybe you can do dishes with your “sweetie” and your kids, “when the dishwasher breaks down or the electric goes off”. It’s even more romantic doing dishes by candlelight. When the electric goes off-just set a candle in the kitchen window, sing your sweetie a little romantic ditty, kiss her on the back of the neck and soon you’ll have a kid to help you do the dishes. Enjoy those man-to-man, or if it’s more politically correct, those person-to-person talks with your kids, or is it, with your children.

The Bible does say…”My son, be wise, and make my heart glad.” Proverbs 27:11 and “A little child shall lead them”. Isaiah 11:6

Dad Still Teaching Lessons To All Who Will Listen