When the good Lord was creating Fathers...He started with a tall frame.
An angel nearby said,"What kind of Father is that?
If your'r going to make children so close to the ground,
why have you put the Fathers up so high?
he won't be able to shot a marble without kneeling,play pretend drinking tea,
tuck a child in bed without bending,
or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping"
God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child-size,
who would children have to look up to?"
And when God made a Father's hands, they were large.
The angel shook her head sadly and said, "Do you know what you are doing?
Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins,
small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails,
or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats."
Again God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough
to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets,
all his daughter's paper dolls, jump rope,
yet small enough to cup a child's face in his hands"
The angel nearly had a heart attack.
"Do you realize you just made a Father without a lap?
How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid
falling between his legs?"
God smiled and said, "A Mother needs a lap.
A Father needs strong shoulders to pull a wagon,
to balance a child on a bicycle,
or to hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."
When God was in the middle of creating two of the largest
feet anyone had eve seen, the angel giggled and could not
contain herself any longer. "That's not fair.
Do you honestly think those large boats are going to get out
of bed early in the morning when a baby cries? Or walk through
a birthday party without crushing one or two of the guests?"
Again God smiled and said, "It will work, you'll see.
It will support a small child who wants to ride a horse to Banbury Cross,
or scare mice away from a summer cabin,
or walk in shoes that will be a challenge to fill."
God worked throughout the night, giving the Father
a few words, but a firm authoritative voice;
eyes that could see everything, yet remain calm and tolerant.
Finally, almost as an after-though, He added tears.
Then he turned to the angel and said, "Now are you satisfied that he can love
as much as a Mother can?"
The angel said nothing more.
~~~~ERMA BOMBECK~~~~
