A Good Daddy Would Help His Son

There is nothing better than your own bed, particularly when you have been travelling all week and working (and playing) in the snow all weekend. So when I lay my tired body to rest last night, I was one happy dude. I immediately faded off to sleep. Peace.

At about 3:30 in the morning, I heard the whisper of a six-year-old boy: “Dad. Dad. My blanket won’t work. I can’t fix it.”

What?” I groaned back to him.

“Dad. My blanket doesn’t work. I can’t put it on my bed. I need help.”

Are you kidding me? I looked at the clock across the room. The red digital lights screamed out 3:32. What’s wrong with the blanket? How does a blanket fail to work? I will solve this: “Son, your blanket works fine. Just pull it up. You can do it.”

“But … Dad …”

“Son! Go back to your room. It’s night time.”

Although I couldn’t see his face or body, I knew he walked away rejected. I’ve seen the look before. He won’t remember, I reasoned to myself, because it’s the middle of the night. I rolled over, thinking I could still get a few more hours of good rest.

My wife whispered in my ear. The words pierced my eardrums and went straight to my heart. She was right. I jumped up quickly and ran down the hall.

The rejected son had his door shut, but I could see the light peering from underneath. I quietly opened the door and he stood the end of his bed. I now understood his dilemma. The top blanket was on the floor and the sheets were wrinkled up in a knot at the bottom edge of the bed.

“Need some help?”

His smile was all that I needed to see to reassure me that he was okay. “Yes, sir.

I threw him on the bed, hugged him, and gave a few tickles. “Hold still now.” He spred his body out and I lofted the top sheet up in the air. It landed perfectly over his body. I tucked in the bottom and edges. I took the top blanket and did the same. I saw his homemade quilt from GG lying on the floor. Better add that one, too.

“Is that better?” I asked.

“Yes. Thanks, Dad.”

I gave him a wink. I mouthed the words “I LOVE YOU.” I turned out the light and walked out the door.

Not even the best sleep could replace that feeling of joy I then experienced. And all because of that little whisper in the ear from my wife. Wanna know what she said?

A good daddy would help his son.

5 Responses to “A Good Daddy Would Help His Son”

  1. Timothy R. Hughes February 1, 2010 at 8:04 pm #

    Super post! That late night intervention can be really a test of patience and love but you passed it for sure!

  2. Texasholly February 1, 2010 at 8:31 pm #

    so sweet. it is hard to be rational in the middle of the night…but worth the loss of sleep.

  3. Matt D. February 2, 2010 at 2:26 pm #

    @Tim Thanks for your kind words. I was so overwhelmed with the experience I had to share with my construction friends.

    @Texasholly Thanks for the note. Looking forward to following your posts and tweets.

  4. Mandela February 2, 2010 at 5:44 pm #

    Okay…so you brought tears to my eyes w/this post. What a precious moment.

  5. Walter Kelley February 11, 2010 at 6:35 pm #

    That's why God gave us good wives…to keep us working to be that good daddy.

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