Memories. Ahhh Yes, Memories of My Life

I Was A 'Bad' Father

I Was A 'Bad' Father

         Okay, so I wasn't that bad of a father, but I have done some things that might make you shake your head. My biggest regret in many ways, was taking the job at Motorola. True, it is my dream job. It pays well, it supported my family and I far better than I could have hoped. But I wasn't home for my children at the time they needed a father in their life! That's my regret.

         Now about the 'bad father' bit. Here's one of the things I did to terrorize my children.

         First, I purchased a Halloween mask at a yard sale. They all saw it, they knew we had it.
At that time, we lived on a cul-de-sac, our split-level house had a small wooded area behind it. One night while the girls were in their room (a downstairs bedroom), I grabbed the mask and went behind the house. With the mask on, I knocked on their window. They heard me, heard my voice and came to the window. Need I describe the chaos and screaming that occurred?

         Secondly. After retiring from the Navy, I was eventually hired by Firestone, which required us to move from Washington State, an area/state we all loved, and settle in Illinois. The drive was great, we saw a lot of things. But one day, as we drove along I-90, I looked over and saw railroad tracks. I quipped, "Hey kids, a train just went by." "How do you know Dad?" I responded, "Can't you see its tracks?" Yeah, if they had been older and bigger, I might not be here today. I did many things like that. Sadly, right now I'm drawing a blank for more memories.

         While still in the Navy, I told my oldest (9 or 10 at the time) about the man who taught me Transistors while in EM "A" School. His name was Liberty Mann. He made a distinct impression on me, especially if I remember him 50 years later. Petty Officer Mann didn't believe that Electrons could flow up a wire, from a low level to a higher level. But they did, and to help him understand that, he developed what he called 'Liberty Mann's Elephant Theory Of Current Flow.' See, instead of Electrons in the wire, he called them Elephants. He had it all worked out too, and could explain a lot of circuits using that analogy. He even had light bulb operation in it. The Elephants loved dark, so when they found themselves in a light bulb, they would gather up all that darkness to consume later. This is the story I told my oldest daughter one day, she had this look on her face of "My Dad has gone bonkers and lost it". Months later, I was driving her to her elementary school for an evening rehearsal, and out of the blue she says, "I wish there were Elephants around here Dad." Not putting two and two together, I looked at her oddly and said, "Why Jennifer?" She responded, "So the lights would come on!" All I could do was bang my head on the steering wheel.

         Some of you feel my sense of humor is terrible. Can you imagine being in a moving truck with me for 4-5 days and having to listen to bad jokes the whole time? Okay, it wasn't all the time, but it was often enough. So yep, I was a 'bad father'. Fortunately, my children are no worse off due to it.




Jim Dorrell