Quality Time with Dad

When I was a kid there were a couple of nights a month that my dad had to watch me. My mom would be babysitting for another family and my sister would also be out babysitting. So that left my father and me to spend quality time together.

My mom would usually prepare dinner for us. Occasionally though my dad would cook for both of us. The menu of the evening usually consisted of a choice of: Pasta and tomato sauce, a fried egg with tomato sauce, grilled mozzarella cheese sandwiches (which could have tomato sauce) or some roast beef in tomato sauce.

After dinner, it was usually time for a bath. Bath time with my dad was a bit different than with my mom. My dad didn’t believe in shampoo to clean my hair. He would take a bar of Ivory soap and rub it across the top of my head. He’d toss some water onto my head and lather it. There were probably four suds total with this method. He’d then take a cup and submerge it in water and throw it over my head. He would do this until the 4 suds would disappear. My mom’s method was to use Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo, which she’s lather on my head, and then she’d tilt me back so my head would go under the water. She’d move her hand around my submerged head to ensure the soap water cleared.

My dad also believed in letting me do most of the work. Where my mom would soap me up all over, my dad would hand me a washcloth, the aforementioned bar of Ivory soap and would tell me to rub the two together. He’d then tell me to rub the washcloth around and then I’d splash myself clean.

After my bath, it was time to get into my pjs and watch television. We’d often watch the Carol Burnett show together. This would usually make my dad laugh inordinately and I enjoyed the costumes and faces she would make. Other times, I’d tell my dad what I wanted to watch. On a couple of occasions though, I was subject to watch the Benny Hill show with my dad. I didn’t understand the show really but it sure made my dad laugh. Even if I didn’t understand it, it was a nice end to an evening with my dad.