Monthly Archives: April 2013

Dad Took Me Shopping for My First Date

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Brimming with joy, I was ready to fly.

Today’s story is from Kimberly D. Green Yates.

My first date. It was time. He was a handsome guy, savvier than I. Quite a bit taller. Dark eyes.

Dad first date

Kimberly and her dad

Dinner, for certain. Dancing perhaps? Would he open my door? Should I kiss him goodnight? Money was tight, but my parents both said,

“It’s your first date, let’s do it right.”

Mom told me what to expect. How to act like a lady in every respect. Dad took me shopping. Shiny white shoes. A faux fur stole, purse to match. The coolest thing? A gorgeous blue dress.
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The Weight of His Father’s Shadow

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Wealth. Access. Status. Options.
Kids of fame have it made.

Today’s story is about Scott Newman, son of Paul Newman, garnered from public sources.

“Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul.” –Democritus
his father's shadow

Paul Newman and his son Scott Newman

Paul Newman is remembered for much. Star of the screen. Stunning good looks. A 50-year marriage. “Newman’s Own” foods.

Scott, Paul’s only son, dwelt in the darkness of his father’s shadow. Joanne Woodward, Paul’s second wife and Scott’s stepmom, commented, “When the kids go anywhere with him, they can be pushed aside by fans, as if they don’t count, as if they’re nothing in themselves.”

A friend observed, “He was always competing with his father’s image.”
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Dad Taught Respect and Courtesy Through Two Words – Mahogany Desk

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He was born above a small country store.
July 15, 1939. Hillsboro, Tennessee.

Today’s story is from Calvin LeHew.

my dad taught respect

Alton ‘Red’ LeHew with his son, Calvin.
The year? Long ago.

My dad’s parents worked into the night. Money was tight. The elementary school was without plumbing.

His dad, Alton ‘Red’ LeHew, only finished third grade. His mom, Leola, made it through sixth. They both died of cancer when he was a kid.

From humble beginnings, today’s Savvy Dad guest rose to the top. He worked for Presidents Nixon, Kennedy and Johnson. One of his youthful goals was to make his first million by age 35. He did it at 33.

What advice meant the most?
Words from his dad…mahogany desk.
Mahogany desk?

Meet pilot, author and real estate developer, Calvin LeHew.    READ MORE 

My Uncle Greg Told Me A Family Secret

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I didn’t have a dad growing up. Mom raised me, for the most part.

Today’s story is from Jason Fields.

I did have an uncle. His name was Greg. Uncle Greg taught me something special about me. It was 1981, another bleak, freezing Cincinnati winter.

A family secret

The ‘Panther’

My name is Jason. I was 5 at the time. The memory is vivid, even today. Standing in the Cincinnati Kmart.

Longingly gazing at the most beautiful thing I had ever seen…a jet-black Huffy “Panther” BMX bicycle.

Chrome spokes, riding pegs, trick handlebars, and “panther claw” grips! My heart pounded at the thought of riding this powerful steed.    READ MORE 

My Dad, Jim Henson, Taught Us Learning Is Cool

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His teachings were brilliant, lessons of felt.
Lessons of Felt?

Today’s story is from Lisa Henson, daughter of Jim Henson of Muppet fame.

He “fathered” thousands…but never met most. Jim Henson fathered The Muppets. Creatures of felt. He brought us Sesame Street, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, so much more.

Jim Henson taught us that learning is cool.
Counting to ten could be fun.
Jim Henson, Learning is Cool

Lisa Henson with her father Jim Henson*

But what was it like to be a real Henson kid? “We were always doing extraordinary things,” says Lisa, now 53 (the same age as Jim when he died). Making it fun was how the Henson kids learned that learning is cool.

“Dad (and Mom) were always up for play,” says Brian, 50. Games and more games. And felt puppets—of course.

Jim taught his kids through engagement and fun, lessons of felt. Brian, a technical whiz, Dad taught puppet building. Lisa showed a knack for editing. “From age 12, I read and gave feedback on his scripts… ”
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False Pressure From Dad

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Yells, screams. Acid to the stomach. Stress on the heart.

by Greg Hague

We fought into the night. A wife? A girlfriend? Nope. It was my dad.

Pressure from Dad

1952. Mom pins an award on Dad.

In 1977, I broke up with Chubby. This is a story very few know.

For over a year I hated the man I loved. He felt the same about me.

It started three years before. I had graduated from law school. Chubby owned a real estate firm in Cincinnati. I wasn’t sure what to do. Practice law? Work with Dad?

Dad never pushed. I knew what he wanted. I joined the firm.

It was pressure from Dad exerted by me.
For three years it was horrible and great.

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Dad Taught Me the Value of Approaching Life in a Different Way

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The announcement came over the school PA.

Today’s story is from Brian Hague.

Dad embarrassment

Brian as a kid with his dad, Greg Hauge

Eyes turned and focused on me. Run for the door? Slide under the desk? Is embarrassment fatal? I am now dead. It was my dad. He did it again!

My name is Brian. It’s been 23 years. I was 11. Monday morning. Fifth grade. Ms. Sullivan’s class. Two days before. Dad had taken my brothers and me to the Swap Meet. We trolled for trick stuff.

Something caught Dad’s eye, really his ear. D.J. Carlos, a Latin rapper in hip-hop gear. Selling songs right out of his van. The sign read,

“Custom Rap Songs. You write it, I rap it.”

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