In Praise of Papa

I'm a believer in equality. So since my mom got a Mother's Day post, that means my dad certainly deserves one for Father's Day. And since tomorrow, I'll be with the family up in Centerville (and oddly enough, sneaking away to blog during family gatherings is kind of frowned upon in my family), he also gets his entry a day early.

To be frank, I don't know if either of them have ever read this blog, though I'm pretty sure both know of its existence. Rather, I'm pretty sure that I told both of them about its existence more than once. But that doesn't mean they remember. Which is fine.

As with the previous list, here are some things I learned from my dad--in word and in deed:

• The easiest way to get five kids to be quite for a little while is to line them up on the floor and throw marshmallows into their mouths for a few minutes.
• Knowledge is power that keeps you from falling on your butt. (When we were kids, he used to play a game with us where we'd sit on his knees and ask us questions. If we got the question wrong, then he quickly yank his knees apart so we'd fall. We thought it was the funniest thing in the world. He does it to my 3-year-old nephew now.)
• It's not always possible to keep a straight face during family prayer.
• You get to learn what you want to learn. (Which is probably why my dad knows quite a lot about Middle Eastern culture and very little about popular music from 1970 onward)
• Online shopping is greatly improved if you can memorize your credit card numbers.
• It's always better to have someone clothes shopping with you who will actually care about what you're wearing.
• MacGyver isn't real, but you can still be anything you want to be. Even MacGyver. Without the ability to make just about anything from duct tape, paper clips, hangers, and other paraphernalia.
• Any fight can be diffused with laughter.
• Nothing deserves worse punishment than disrespecting your mother.
• Saturday's Warrior is better as a play.
• Priesthood power is real.
• "Book of Mormon Stories" must always be sung with actions.
• Don't get mad, get even. Or better yet, get sarcastic.
• Pray about everything.
• Don't be scared to ask for blessings.
• Dads like to help their daughters. And their sons. And they especially like their sons helping them to help their daughters.
• Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.
• Be 'childlike.'
• Also, sometimes it's fun to be 'childish.'
• Don't take anything too seriously. Except sacred things.
• The priesthood is an amazing thing.
• Sometimes dads wants to heal those who want to be healed, but they simply can't.
• And it's not a faith issue.
• Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni were the names of the four sons of Mosiah.
• "This it the day the Lord has given us. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."