How the Grinch Made Everyone Smile
Being a good dad is hard to measure. There's so many variants and standards, none really better than the other, that would need to be used to create an accurate scale to evaluate being a good parent. And no matter the judgment, I try because I know it will pay dividends for my children for many years to come. And it makes me feel good about who I am as a person.
My daughter loves the Grinch. My wife and I have struggled to figure out why. And I'm talking about the original Dr. Seuss, from the 30-minute television show. The bad animation of the 1960s, paralleling all of those Charlie Brown and Peanuts specials, that still make me smile (I know there have been more modern updated Grinch movies, but we've never seen them). For whatever reason, my baby girl, now 8 years old, just loves everything associated with that villain of Christmas and his dog Max.
So, it shouldn't have been a surprise when she asked for a birthday party with the theme being the Grinch. Kind of unusual to be honest. And my wife went all out. A jammies morning party with all of her friends, Grinch themed with Grinch games, and the activity was to make your own individual Grinch stuffy. Grinch plates, napkins, pictures, etcetera. It was spectacular (like everything my wife touches).
But it begs the question where do I fit in?
See the picture….that is your answer. As I walked up around the house to the front door (with the help of my son, because it is hard to see out of a Grinch outfit), I wondered how my daughter would react. And while the video my wife took was a better evidence than my own view (again, hard to see….), the answer was pretty clear. Surprise. Excitement. Pure JOY.
My daughters friends enjoyed it as well. I took pictures with each one of them. With the small groups that came. Their parents even thought it was hilarious as they dropped off their children at our house. I think there was a text chain of commentary going around my daughter’s friends’ parents with a combination of shaking heads and laughter.
Was it worth the small cost, both monetarily and to my “public persona?” At the end of the day, laying in bed with my girl as I do every night before she falls off to sleep, I asked a standard parent question---“did you have a good day? A good birthday party?” The answer was a quick yes. “Why?” As she pointed her finger at my chest, the realization of the power of being an engaged father, spending time with my children, making them smile, giving them corrective guidance, holding them accountable, and just plain loving them came over me at a level that almost made me cry. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a legacy that I can be proud of….
And what all parents should aim for… Grinch costume or something else… the knowledge of loving impact that child will never forget.
