Go Daddy Go!

I'm going to have to go ahead an post this before Father's Day because of this video:

That's not Kenny.  But it is kind of my point that one of the best qualities of Olivia's father is that he is absolutely, unfailingly willing to embarrass himself if it will get a laugh out of his daughter.  And when she was smaller, there was plenty of opportunity to do that.  Kenny embraces this role like some kind of super hero who's strength is replenished by squeals of delight. I have pictures of Kenny in at least 3 different wigs, feather boas, lots of great hats, on the Barbie scooter (ended in disaster, but only because he insisted that our Cocker Spaniel try to pull him) and also footage of him trying not to put all 200 lbs of his weight on the streamer laden bike while Olivia instructed him.  I actually have some fantastic video of the two of them dancing. The best video is probably the one in which he emulates the shot-put spin with a pumpkin so that she can measure how far it will go. He was dizzy by the end of it, but the important part was that he threw it farther than she could imagine. It's the wind up that counts.  It's like he's fueled by the phrase, "Go Daddy go!!"

I don't know what kind of parent you are, but I can tell you that the relationship between father and daughter is critical. However much Olivia will find herself at odds with us as she becomes an adult, she will never be able to claim that her Dad didn't positively exude willingness during her adolescence.  He's the guy at Six Flags most Saturdays in the Spring riding Superman over and over and over with two 12 year old girls screaming his head off because they like it when he's terrified. He's the guy who looks suspicious at WhiteWater because the kids run off and he's stuck by himself in the wave pool supervising from a distance. He's got a strap for his glasses so he never misses a waterslide opportunity and he knows all the words to Call Me Maybe and Thrift Shop. He's the guy who played restaurant behind the shower curtain for years and now rigs skeet throwers and fishing rods.  He's the guy who would be dancing at the stadium if he'd thought of it first.

I would love to share all the embarrassing footage with you, but I like to keep some leverage for later. Here's one where you'd swear he's normal, but he keeps his cape put away with his glasses strap.