Call me "Sucker"

This being a dad is deal is really alot of fun. When my beautiful wife and I got married, we had insta- family. She had a 9yr old son from her previous marriage. We did all the things families do and then some. Sports, vacations, family stuff, etc. It was all great.

I was never the perfect Dad, but I tried.

I did do one good thing as the "Evil Step Dad". I taught Little Man and all his buddies how to drive a stick shift. Sunday mornings we would go to breakfast and then have driving lessons in some empty parking lot. Most of these kids were WAY younger than the legal limit. Driving permits were at least a year away for all of them. I was so cool,I got to wear my underwear on the outside of my pants and an "S" on my chest.

Jump 10 years.

Peanut is now 13, she'll be 14 next month. An only child. Daddys little girl.

We live on a small farm, WAY out in the weeds. The mailbox and Sunday paper are about a quarter mile from the seat I'm sitting in. My dilemma is how to retrieve the paper and mail with the least amount of effort. I know! Teach my 12 year old to drive my little truck to the end of the driveway and back. Its an automatic and a private road, what could go wrong? I did, she did, life was fabulous!

Two months the truck was totalled in an accident.

Once again laziness makes an appearance. Time for Peanut to learn to drive a stick.

So thats what I did this weekend. No screaming, no yelling, no tears. My little girl looks at me with stars in her eyes. Can you believe, I actually got to spend some quality time with a teenagerand she liked it.

I'm thinkin' the red underpants are back.

By the way, she did it on the first try.