Haircuts and Fathers

I got a haircut last Saturday...and I got a huge lesson in fathering!

I had to prepare for a comedy show that night, so I wanted to look like at least cared a little about my appearance. 

When I arrived at the barber shop, there were three other people ahead of me and there were only two people doing the cutting and they both had someone in the chair. 

I felt a little impatient because I had other things to do that day that were going to be way more productive than sitting and waiting for a haircut!

I remembered that I had several games on my phone that I could play AND the salon had big screen TV's with my favorite shows on, Pawn Stars and American Pickers.

I settled in to relax while I waited for my turn.

That's when THEY came in!

A young man and his little son.

(I am assuming they were father and son, that's what it seemed like to me as you will discover from the upcoming events.)

In they walked and took off their coats and sat down.

I will say that this little guy was about 5 years old or younger.

He was what I will call "chatty"!

For a human with only a limited number of years under his belt, he had a lot to say!
It wasn't annoying, it was just there was a LOT of talking going on!
This is where the dad in me though about how I would have handled this situation.

When our kids were small, there was no such thing as a smart phone, so that was not an option for distraction while waiting for life to happen.
You had to go to a magazine or something like that.

Here is where I became impressed by this fellows dad skills
.
The whole time his toddler was speaking, he maintained eye contact and had his head and body in the little guys direction.

THE WHOLE TIME!

That kid has his FULL attention!

I watched to see if the guy even had a phone in his hand.  I did not see one.
The tot talked and talked right up until it was time for his haircut.
I was in the chair by this time and I was keeping an eye on what was going on.
The father put the child in the chair and then I saw that he DID have a phone!
He took it out of his pocket to show the barber the cut he wanted for his son.
He then went back and sat down in the little waiting area.

Did he take that time to play a game on his phone?  Update his Facebook?  Tweet?

NO!

He kept the phone off and watched his son get a haircut!  Smiling the whole time!
The kid could look in the mirror and see his dad watching everything going on!
At this point the little guy was not as chatty!
I suspect he was sitting secure in knowing his pop was right there watching.

Wow.

It was not something you see very often and as a father, it reminded me of all times I should have been more attentive to my children.

Thanks buddy, you are a great example to fathers everywhere!

Good Job!

Photo by Tommy van Kessel on Unsplash