|
Learning from dad Safety is a number one priority in my house. As we were growing up we learned certain things that every child learns: don’t put the scissors in the light sockets, don’t cut with big knives, don’t sit too close to the television because it will ruin your eyesight. My brother and I seemed to obey these rules more closely than our father. When we were growing up we got to see firsthand what would happen if we did not listen to Mom about the light sockets and the sharp objects. Our father was always the guinea pig. On my spring vacation one year, my father decided to take his chainsaw and cut some tree limbs for my grandparents who lived just below us. My grandfather, who is always trying to be the sensible one, told my father not to get up on the roof with the chainsaw. My father waved him off and got on the roof anyway and nearly sawed off his leg. The ambulance, the local fire department, and several family members and neighbors came to help get him down. When this little parade was over, my father had managed to get himself nearly 200-some stitches and a good six weeks of recuperation. When I was in sixth grade I played basketball for the local elementary school. I was a little taller than most of the girls and had broad shoulders. One Sunday after church, my father in his Sunday suit, my brother and I decided to play basketball in our backyard. While my father was attempting a jump shot I tried to block him. I blocked him all right; he went down and something snapped. Crawling back to the house he declared that everything was fine and that he didn’t need to go to the doctor. Several days later, after working on our kitchen with my grandfather, my father decided he’d better go to the hospital. When he returned his foot was in a blue cast and he was walking on crutches. He had broken his foot. The worst was yet to come. That same day, my father got the bright idea to go down to my grandfather’s in his cast. While attempting to walk down the stairs, which were only cinder blocks, he fell again and this time fractured the other foot. If nothing else we’ve learned that my father proves the theory that accidents occur more often at home than on the job. Stacy Hawks |
|
