Daddy Lessons
- TaraSol
- Oct 26
- 3 min read
Songs that go with the post Daddy Lessons - Beyonce Daughter - Beyonce
I admire my dad for how he took the time to get to know people. Not just for surface reasons, but for who they truly are/were as individuals. I caught myself getting jealous of girls and boys... neighborhood kids who would call my dad 'Pops'. I was jealous because I did not want them to take up all my dad's energy. I assumed that he would not have any energy left for me.. and my four siblings. In retrospect, I am amazed at how he was able to spend time with others and make time for his kiddos, too. That's why I get defensive when people ask about my sleep schedule. No one was pulling my father, who worked night shift, into a behavioral health hospital due to his sleeping habits. They called that, 'parenting'. Much of what he taught me has stuck with me, and I feel compelled to share the lessons that I carry with me. My dad is not the tallest man to enter a room, but let me tell you, people knew when he entered the room. My dad is not the kind of man to let anyone piss on his head and tell him it's raining. I guess these days we would say, he did not let anyone play in his face. And, I don't blame him. He taught me not to let anyone do that to me either. I attribute my recent 'crash out' to one of the many lessons he taught me. Little ol' me, measuring in at a quarter of an inch under five ft. I am not afraid to stand up to any Goliath, snake in the grass, wolf in sheep's clothing, or bully that gets in my way. Because, Goliaths, snakes in the grass, wolves in sheep's clothing, and bullies tried to get in my dad's way. Too bad it did not work. I mean, they would have had a better chance at trying Jesus.
Don't throw rocks and hide your hand. I understand this now, as an adult, in ways that did not make sense as a child. I mean, we were not allowed to throw rocks in the first place. So, why wouldn't we hide our hands? Like, why are we throwing anything... let alone rocks?! Before you come for me, just know... I was a kid. A child. And, these metaphors went straight over my head. Essentially, what my dad was saying was, if you are going to say something, good bad or ugly, stand firm on whatever it is you are saying. In theory, this saying might seem easy, but come on. How many people do we know who talk trash and then cower? I could list a few... but I digress. ;) You know... and that's on my new found self-control. A hit dog will hollar.. another saying my dad says. Again, younger me thought, duh! Why wouldn't a dog hollar at getting hit?! Bless my young heart, haha. I promise, eventually I understood that sometimes people just be talking about anything. Every now and then, there is someone who gets their panties in a bunch and starts defending themselves, i.e. a hit dog hollaring. I am sure he did not use the term dog to be demeaning (... but if the shoe fits...), but in this context 'dog' is the metaphoric agent. Now a days we say the person is catching strays. If you are up on the latest slang, I am sure you will get the reference.
Anyway, these daddy lessons come up every now and then. Particularly when I am in need of a word from my biological father. Not because I am schizophrenic (mother fuckers saying I am hearing voices... I am a Christian. Ever heard of the holy spirit or ancestral voices) ANYWAY... I made my own saying, when people show you their ass, you have to show them you have two cheeks, too. For years I was accepting people showing me their ass and not standing up for myself. It took me long enough. But I did not hide my hand when I FINALLY stood up for myself. Just like daddy taught me.
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