One time I asked Ken what he had taught his kids. “Nothing, that I can think of,” he replied. His offspring begged to differ!

Monday’s child grew up taking anything apart that had nuts and bolts and threads. Then his dad had to teach him how to put everything back together. “Right-tight” and “Lefty-Lucy” was the motto. They shared a love of building and mechanics. Dad taught him to start a nail straight. Monday’s child added, “He also taught me that at Bob’s Big Boy thousand Island dressing goes great on hamburgers.”

Tuesday’s child told me, “Dad taught us how to play poked. He also gave me a respect for the beauty of nature even though I used to hate it when dad tied up the TV with nature shows. He also taught me how to walk through life without prejudice and a natural sense of equality between the sexes.”

Thursday’s child remembers dad teaching her how to ride her first bike. She got a blue Schwin for Christmas when she was six. He ran along beside it, ready to grab because her feet couldn’t touch the ground.

“Dad showed me how to play jacks. He was really good at it. And best of all, he took us shopping at Christmas time for mom’s gift. One present in particular that I remember was a matching silk turquoise gown and robe with gold embroidered trim. Great shopping impressed me?”

They all remembered the whole family playing hide-and-seek and dad putting them up in the linen closet where mom wouldn’t look. They got piggyback rides to bed and if they begged him to play his accordion, bedtime was later.

I’m guessing that the things most people remember their dad teaching them are similar. Not how to make a million dollars or discover a cure for a disease, just the everyday things that kids need to know.