Tom remembers when his daughter, then in second grade, wrote a short story for a class assignment. The kids were going to read their stories to the entire class. So Tom and his daughter practiced at home. First of all, her story was pretty good. It had a plot, a few characters and conflict, which are essential for any story. Good content - a great start!
Tom Tozer and Bill Black pose for a portrait Monday, March 28, 2016 at the Chattanooga Times Free Press.Practice makes perfect
Having taught speech and theater, Tom worked with his daughter on correct pronunciation, speaking clearly, vocal inflection and facial expression. The more they practiced, the better his daughter got. Occasionally he would demonstrate how to read a particular line using just the right emotion. He would work with her until she nailed it. Tom was thrilled with his daughter's progress. She was terrific for a second-grader. Tom couldn't wait until tomorrow. He was sure his daughter's performance in class would get an "A" and rousing applause. It might even bring everyone to their feet.
Tomorrow came. The kids were excited. The parents were crammed into the extra second-grade desks brought in for the occasion, smiling with pride in spite of their leg cramps. The teacher welcomed everyone and introduced the day's special project. Tom peered over at his daughter in eager anticipation of her blockbuster performance. If there was an award for first place, he she was definitely going to take it home.
Make dad's day
One by one, the teacher called out the name of a child, and the little girl or boy stood in front of the class and read. Most of them weren't even a minute in length, not long enough to develop much of a plot and certainly not enough material to really feel their words. And then it was his daughter's turn. She was going to blow them out of the room, Tom thought to himself. She announced the title of her story and began.
Brace yourself, everyone!
Tom saw her lips move, but he couldn't hear a sound. She looked over at her daddy, and her daddy squeezed a smile that betrayed his palpitating heart and his burning ears. Sweetie, no one can hear you, his mind shouted. The teacher interrupted her to coax a little more volume. Volume! Are you kidding? Last night the neighbors could have heard her through the walls!
Tom wanted to interject and remind his daughter that not only was she dying up there, but he was dying in a sweaty pool of embarrassment. Everyone clapped politely as she returned to her desk, which was the only cue that she had finished her story. Sweetie, all that practice, he thought to himself. What happened? Tom glanced at a mother beside him who muttered something about how cute his daughter was. Cute! Tom didn't want cute! He had prepared for awesome! Profound! Beyond her years!
Tom's daughter is now in her 30s. To this day, Tom's real embarrassment is how much he leaned on his 7-year-old daughter to massage his own ego.
Tom Tozer and Bill Black are authors of "Dads2Dads: Tools for Raising Teenagers." Like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter at Dads2Dadsllc. Contact them at tomandbill@Dads2Dadsllc.com.