[renielarson]

Lil Dancer

I was avoiding this thread because I also was very embarrassed about my dad. He was a junior high school business, math, typing teacher. He walked to the beat of a different drum. He wasn't concerned about style, being accepted by students, or fitting any mold. He was just himself and very happy who he was.

He wore big wide ties when skinnier ones were more fashionable. In fact, I don't think he ever wore a skinny tie in his life. Junior high kids can be so cruel. They wrote him nasty notes about the way he dressed. I never thought he dressed that badly...he wore slacks, dress shirt and tie to work every day. But the kids focused on his wide ties.

What made me so embarrassed was that his junior high kids and the junior high I went too all joined together in one high school. When classmates found out that I was his daughter, all they could talk about were his ties and how out of fashion he was. They actually told me that generations are not always indicative of previous generations and I had out-shined him by miles....based solely on those darn ties he wore!

Isn't it sad that teenagers focus on such petty things when judging others? All I know is that I was so embarrassed because I was young, naive, and still developing into the person I am today.

Now, as I look back, I appreciate his nonconformity. He definitely had a mind of his own and I think I'm a lot like him.

Ask Susan...I wear mainly skorts...I don't care. She once asked me if that is all I wore. Laughing, I love her soul! Guess I can compare my skorts to my dad's ties.

Let me add my favorite memory...5th birthday...dad kneeling on one knee and sitting me on the other knee then singing "Happy Birthday" to me. That was special! It doesn't take a lot to make me happy or to stamp a memory in my mind.