My father and I had, sadly, a short span of time to get to know each other. However, this is a story that says it all.
My father was very strict and stern, the most strict father out of all my friends and family. Up until the age of 14 I accepted his role of disciplinarian and didn’t even bother to fight him.
However, at 14 I began going to dances sponsored by B’nai Brith Girls and its male counterpart; I would meet 16 year old boys at these dances and some of them would offer to drive me home. All the other girls were allowed to be driven home by 16 year old boys who just got their driver’s license…except me. I was enraged!! I was told that when the dance was ending I had to call home and get one of my parents to come for me. I can still remember being just so furious about this; I stood, toe-to-toe with my very tall, very stern father and demanded my full rights as a young girl growing up who wanted to meet boys.
My father didn’t yell at me or punish me for trying to defy him; I was expecting the ceiling to fall in! He just kept saying: “I know what 16 year old boys think about and you don’t.” “Just tell your friends, if they tease you, that you have a rotten old man. My shoulders are broad and I can take it.”
I can still remember this scene. My father wasn’t angry; he was enjoying this and his eyes were twinkling! I intuited that he must be enjoying this. I also had to admit to myself that I was enjoying it too!
He was thinking: “What a cute, spirited, little firecracker she’s turned out to be.”
I was thinking: “What a man; I thought everybody cared about other peoples’ opinions. But he says ‘his shoulders are broad and he can take it.'”
It’s obvious what Sigmund Freud would say about this but let’s leave him out of it. We, my father and I, loved each other. And, after this, I was allowed to go in cars with 16 year old boys.
lgmwriting 