Show Around The Globe Fathers Father's Day means more to Nick than just breakfast in bed Nick Parker in Editor-in-Chief So my intention was to write my column about how Im I'm supporting supporting supporting sup sup- porting Pete Ashdown in the upcoming Senatorial race but I threw away my notes yesterday while cleaning my car Instead Ive I've spent my night reading a book that was sent to me At first glance it looked cheesy corny and just plain bad but A Very Good Guide to Raising a Daughter Father actually turned out to be quite the read It got me thinking about my own dad With Fathers Father's Day just around the comer corner I tho thought Id I'd let him know just how this book compared compared compared com com- pared to our relationship The book begins with father Bill Good meeting his daughter Jenny in the delivery room Now I cant can't attest to any extremely early memories with my father but I can tell you that my absolutely most prized possession possession possession pos pos- session is a picture of my father and I lying on the floor of our old kitchen seemingly exhausted exhaust exhaust- ed and almost entwined I keep this picture on my dresser next to my bed so that I see it every day If my house were ever to catch fire dont don't worry I knocked on the wooden desk that picture would be the first thing Id I'd grab My father Mark is my hero Hes He's my everything Other kids wanted to be firemen too hot hoO policemen too dangerous or astronauts too desolate I wanted to be my daddy I still do My dad is my favorite person person person per per- son in the world with my grandfather Ross in a close sec sec- ond He would do anything for formy formy formy my sister brother or I. I The Goods have a system of rules They establish these rules and most are followed without question My father and I never had rules together I had rules and learned the importance of authority from him He taught me everything ever worth learning learning learning learn learn- ing Never hit girls If you say youre you're going to do something something something some some- thing then you do it and most importantly Dont make your mom mad My only rule was that he love me unconditionally Needless to say hes he's never strayed from those parameters The biggest parallel non-parallel this book has with my father and I is the good communication por por- tion My dad and I love each other very much but after I hit puberty and have since become a man our communication is lacking for the most part We talk but never about important stuff Its It's always Did you check your oil or Do you want something from Taco Bell Id I'd really like to remedy that My mom gave me a suggestion suggestion suggestion sug sug- Lift weights with him We could do it once a weak and hang out The only problem with that is that my schedule is extremely tight and again our communication isn't great so bringing it up would be tough One of my favorite memories of my father is of the time I was driving to pick up my girlfriend for her birthday dinner only had my practice permit so he had to go with me and on the way he said Nick I love you and Im I'm proud of you Ill I'll never forget that as long as I live That was one of the happiest happi happi- est moments of my life I dropped a tear or two and said Thanks dad in a very wobbly voice Ive I've been dropping a few tears writing this article actual actual- ly When you love a person and what they stand for this much you'll cry lots of happy tears too Ive I've always felt that I could tell my dad anything but its it's the actually act of bringing stuff up that's hard Were We're both intimidating intimidating intimidating dating people who are perceived perceived perceived per per- as being hard to talk to but we both readily accept communication communication communication com com- and enjoy it I showed my dad my tattoo and despite his distaste for body art he said Your moms mom's going to tobe tobe tobe be pissed He didn't say he didn't didn't didn't did did- nt like it That spoke volumes about my dad It was him saying saying saying say say- ing that he didn't like it but it was my body and I could do what I wanted Fathers Father's continued on page 4 Fathers Father's Day means honoring someone special to The Globes Globe's in Editor-in-Chief continued from page 2 21 The guide also mentioned that sex drugs anything seemingly seemingly seemingly seem seem- controversial was easily talked about in the Good house house- hold I feel like I can tell my dad anything its it's just kind of hard sometimes So to open the lines of communication heres here's my confessional dont don't let the kids see this one pops Ive I've had an alcoholic beverage or few Ive I've done drugs once and it was fairly innocuous as Im I'm sure you'd disagree and I was very safe about it Ive I've had sex again safely By the same token Ive I've also become a great student I was a senior editor at a college newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper before I graduated high school Im I'm the Editor Editor- top dog Editor dog Chief in-Chief now Chief now only a year out I spoke at my high school grad- grad J e t s I Photo by Lisa Parker The Editor passes out with his hero and father Mark circa 1987 Im I'm paying for school all by myself with a little no inter est loan help from grandpa and andI I feel that those things with a negative stigma are outweighed by my accomplishments and my striving toward being the best person I could possibly be Truth is an important thing to tome tome tome me Im I'm a journalist its it's in our blood and I want to share it with my father I would hope that he would feel that he could tell me anything as I think he can I think that my favorite thing to do doand and I mean absolute favorite would be to go on a weekend trip with my dad out to the mountains or a lake and just be together away from everything everything everything every every- thing else We could talk about EVERYTHING for two days straight I feel that he has brought me up to be a successful respectful and loving person I only hope that I can rear my children to behalf behalf be behalf half the man my father Mark Parker is Then Ill I'll know that Ive I've succeeded in hi life Happy Fathers Father's Day dad I Ilove Ilove Ilove love you more than you'll ever know |