Nothing like your kids coming home for Thanksgiving.I have a daughter in Texas and she is with her boyfriends family in Corpus Christie.
I have two kids in college and they both returned home the other day.
This story is about my father in Part 1 and my son in part two.
It's 1969 and I am a freshman at North Texas St.
It's around Dec 13th or 14th and I'm coming home for the 1st time since I left for college.I left NY with a crew cut and was the typical All American boy.Freedom,NT co-eds,etc opened my eyes to a new world.My father made me take ROTC but after two weeks I quit that.
The airplane arrived at La Guardia at around 2.00 pm.I remember getting off the plane and seeing my father staring at me.I had let my hair grow long and he just stared at me.He nodded,looked at his watch and said..."Sals Barber shop is still open.I think we can make it".
At some point on the ride home I remember him saying"your mother will have a heart attack if she ever saw you like this.I think I argued at little but I knew there was no win[.Kinda like my college hoops picks last nite]
We got to Sal's shop and he was the typical old Italian barber with the clippers.Not electric.I know a lot of you guys out there never got clipped with these hand clippers.But I know there are some of you that can relate to what happens when your hair is cut by them.Every other clip pulls a piece of your hair from your scalp.
Anyway as Sal cut I remember saying to myself this will be the last time my fathe has this much controlr.The TV show WonderYears comes to my mind.I was thinking "no more".My dad won today but I'm 19 and he can't have that power over me.I'll repect him,love him,not talk back but he cannot do this..
Six months later when I came home for the summer my hair was long but my father backed off.I think he knew he might of gone to far.We talked about it yrs later and we both laughed about that.I knew where he was coming from.We had just lost a close friend to Vietnam,the times were hectic,etc. He once said he kinda over reacted.But I knew where he was coming from at that time.
Part two..It is now 35 yrs later. Nov 23rd,2004
I have 3 daughters and one son.My son is a freshman at East Carolina.We haven't seen him since we dropped him off in Grennville,NC in August.He left NY with a crew cut like his Dad 35 yrs ago.But thru his sisters,e-mail,chatrooms,web sites,etc the word was out.Mark's hair is "kinda long and wild".
I know my wife and I aren't prudes.We have been lucky with him.He always liked short hair,has no tatoos,body piercing,etc.ButI'm in education and work in a HS so I've seen it all.
At around 4.00 am on the 23rd my wife woke me and said "I heard a car door slam".Mark is home.My two other daughters ran downstairs screaming Marks home.The dog barked,lites in the house came on.My wife was hugging him in the downstairs hallway.I was halfway down the steps and he looked up to me.I stared at him like my father did to me at La Guardia.I had no watch on but I pretended to look at it.I said "the Mall opens up at 9.00". He laughed because he knew the story about my father and me.I said" you left here in August and you were 6'1.Now your 6'3."We both laughed.
His hair looks different.It's not purple.That was my real fear.ha He told his sister yest he's getting it cut on Sat.I know in time we all need to grow up and move on.My father taught me great values growing up.I'm passing those values down to him.
I'm thankful that I have 4 great kids and a wonderful wife.My heart goes out to all those people in "arms way".Hopefully everyone will be safe today.Hope everyone of you have a great day.
I have two kids in college and they both returned home the other day.
This story is about my father in Part 1 and my son in part two.
It's 1969 and I am a freshman at North Texas St.
It's around Dec 13th or 14th and I'm coming home for the 1st time since I left for college.I left NY with a crew cut and was the typical All American boy.Freedom,NT co-eds,etc opened my eyes to a new world.My father made me take ROTC but after two weeks I quit that.
The airplane arrived at La Guardia at around 2.00 pm.I remember getting off the plane and seeing my father staring at me.I had let my hair grow long and he just stared at me.He nodded,looked at his watch and said..."Sals Barber shop is still open.I think we can make it".
At some point on the ride home I remember him saying"your mother will have a heart attack if she ever saw you like this.I think I argued at little but I knew there was no win[.Kinda like my college hoops picks last nite]
We got to Sal's shop and he was the typical old Italian barber with the clippers.Not electric.I know a lot of you guys out there never got clipped with these hand clippers.But I know there are some of you that can relate to what happens when your hair is cut by them.Every other clip pulls a piece of your hair from your scalp.
Anyway as Sal cut I remember saying to myself this will be the last time my fathe has this much controlr.The TV show WonderYears comes to my mind.I was thinking "no more".My dad won today but I'm 19 and he can't have that power over me.I'll repect him,love him,not talk back but he cannot do this..
Six months later when I came home for the summer my hair was long but my father backed off.I think he knew he might of gone to far.We talked about it yrs later and we both laughed about that.I knew where he was coming from.We had just lost a close friend to Vietnam,the times were hectic,etc. He once said he kinda over reacted.But I knew where he was coming from at that time.
Part two..It is now 35 yrs later. Nov 23rd,2004
I have 3 daughters and one son.My son is a freshman at East Carolina.We haven't seen him since we dropped him off in Grennville,NC in August.He left NY with a crew cut like his Dad 35 yrs ago.But thru his sisters,e-mail,chatrooms,web sites,etc the word was out.Mark's hair is "kinda long and wild".
I know my wife and I aren't prudes.We have been lucky with him.He always liked short hair,has no tatoos,body piercing,etc.ButI'm in education and work in a HS so I've seen it all.
At around 4.00 am on the 23rd my wife woke me and said "I heard a car door slam".Mark is home.My two other daughters ran downstairs screaming Marks home.The dog barked,lites in the house came on.My wife was hugging him in the downstairs hallway.I was halfway down the steps and he looked up to me.I stared at him like my father did to me at La Guardia.I had no watch on but I pretended to look at it.I said "the Mall opens up at 9.00". He laughed because he knew the story about my father and me.I said" you left here in August and you were 6'1.Now your 6'3."We both laughed.
His hair looks different.It's not purple.That was my real fear.ha He told his sister yest he's getting it cut on Sat.I know in time we all need to grow up and move on.My father taught me great values growing up.I'm passing those values down to him.
I'm thankful that I have 4 great kids and a wonderful wife.My heart goes out to all those people in "arms way".Hopefully everyone will be safe today.Hope everyone of you have a great day.
