Not A Nice Dad

Okay, I admit it. While I may come across as a charming little cherub to many of you out there in blogland, that’s really not the truth. Ask my son Travis and he will tell you that I’m not a nice dad.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve never been an abusive father, although there were a few times when I wanted to poke his eyes out when he was a teenager, but there’s something lacking in me that is going to keep me from ever getting the Father of the Year award. I think it’s called empathy.

Travis will be 46 this year, and since there is a history of colon cancer in our family, he’s reached that age where certain things have to be done to ensure his continued good health. Among those things is the occasional colonoscopy, which he had to have yesterday.

If any of you have ever had to have this procedure done, you know the worst part is actually the preparation, when you have to consume a nasty concoction to cleanse your system for the exam. I don’t know the actual name of the product that is used to do this, but in layman’s terms it should be called Shitzalot. Yeah, you know what I mean.

On Tuesday, while Travis was going through the dreaded preparation, I wanted to show him my concern, like a good father should. So I called him and asked him how he was doing, and asked and if he was feeling pooped. He didn’t see the humor in that, so I suggested he might want to get some rest because he sounded wiped out. I don’t know how your adult children are, but I think his reply to me was really rude. He suggested I do something to myself that is morally repugnant and physically impossible.

The good news is, he survived the preparation and came through the procedure just fine, and when I talked to him yesterday afternoon, he said that he doesn’t have to do it again for five years. He sounded relieved about that until I reminded him that five years goes by very quickly. He told me to do something else disgusting in response. I don’t get no respect.

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Big Lake, my first novel and the first book in my Big Lake small town mystery series. This is the book that started me on my career as an author.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books and audiobooks to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us. Having eaten in open-air restaurant on the beach, I can understand this policy completely.

Thought For The Day – On very bad days, when I’m sure I can’t take anymore, I try to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days is 100%.