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Commentary | 11
JUNE 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
Music is one of the many
connections fathers can make
My father once remarked that he had an uncanny, yet completely unmarketable tal
ent for being able to hear a song and correctly identify the singer. Yes, he could do that,
and he was good at it. From him I learned all the great crooners: Tony Bennett, Nat King
Cole, Frank, Dean and Sammy.
While some kids sat by their fathers in basements surrounded by magnifying glass
es and scrapbooks, identifying coins or stamps, my siblings and I rode in the back of
Dad’s Ford as he fiddled with the radio dial, and we identified vocalists. As a bonus, I
learned nicknames: Mel Torme was the Velvet Fog, and Charlie Rich was the Silver Fox.;
Frank, of course, was the Chairman of the Board.
There were always records playing in our home, and from the turntable tunes of my
father, I developed a love for music. I grew up on the kicky strains of Herb Alpert’s Tijua
na Brass and the mellow tunes of Simon and Garfunlcel, the bold harmonies of the Ma
mas and the Papas, and the ballads of Bobbie Gentry.
Now, that discerning ear and love for music is be
ing passed along to my kids as well, because I continue
the game of Name that Singer as a sort of homage to my
dad. My father’s legacy knows the difference between Ella
Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, and they have returned the
favor by schooling me on the distinction between Ingrid
Michaelson and Maggie Rogers.
And sometimes, when I happen to hear Bobby Darin,
perhaps, crooning (from somewhere, beyond the sea) and
identify him correctly, I think my dad might be smiling in
approval, that in some small way I am connecting with him
via that completely unmarketable skill he taught me. I like
to imagine that Dad might be able to reach through time
and space from the dimension of the departed and touch
me, reconnecting us by means of our little guessing game.
Truly, whenever I name that singer I think of my dad, and I am grateful.
Fathers, thank you for all the ways you connect with your children, the little ways
and the large. Thank you for the stamp collections and the coin collections, and the
backyard games of catch.
Thank you for coaching the soccer team, year after year...after year.
Thank you for going camping in the sweltering August heat and in the freezing Jan
uary rain.
Thank you for the walks on the beach, the hikes in the mud, the marathons through
it all. Thank you for pointing the way.
Thank you for the wrestling matches and the tickle fights and the seed-spitting con
tests and the head stand competitions.
Thank you for teaching your kids how to balance a spoon on their noses and how to
balance a load of activities.
Thank you for hoisting them onto your shoulders so that they can get a better look
at the world. Thank you for carrying them when they’ve tuckered out, even when you’re
worn out, too.
Thank you for being in the stands. Thank you for being on the field.
Thank you for the Friday night lights and the Sunday morning doughnuts and the
weeknight bedtime stories.
Thank you for your encouragement. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for
your wisdom. Thank you for your silliness.
Thank you even for the dad jokes.
Thank you for helping your children to walk and talk and drive a car and solve an
algebraic equation.
Thank you for teaching them integrity.
Thank you for teaching them to pray.
Thank you for being a fine example to your kids.
And thank you for being proud of them.
Happy Father’s Day.
Robin’s Nest
Robin Conte lives with
her husband in an emp
ty nest in Dunwoody.
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