Anyone who has teenagers will know how much of a taxi service you become as a Dad or Mam. To go from being a life saver giving lifts to be being an embarrassing dad is quite a feat and sometimes achieved within minutes. The thing is, there was a noise in the car and giving the kids a lift with their friends was “so embarrassing Dad.”
So last weekend we decided to drive to the Titanic exhibition in Belfast from Dublin. There were no friends coming so it was ok in terms of embarrassment. I could let loose and be embarrassing Dad as much as I liked! So any time we mentioned the Titanic on the way up, funny Dad came out with, “It sinks in the end..” A line that was funny the first time. But even now I can understand how the kids groaned after the fourteenth attempt at humour. In fairness it was a great day, the exhibition is great and gives an insight into the gigantic scale of the tragedy that happened. As we were led from the history of Belfast to the shipyard I could be heard whispering in my little ones ears…”It sinks in the end.” They started to walk away from me at one stage…disowning me and leaving me to do the tour alone. At one point I saw them run in a group around a corner when they saw me. The wife was with them which added to the hurt.
So we did the tour and, exhausted, headed for home content in the knowledge that we knew everything from the ship’s inception to it’s unfortunate demise. I suppose I was a bit naive to think that the noise in the car would be alright and that perhaps it would go away of its own accord. As we got closer to Dublin, it got worse, ( As it turned out it was the exhaust). The journey had taken its toll on the car and by the time we reached our little cul-de-sac, the noise was similar to a tractor that had exploded. We looked like the Beverly Hill-Billies on tour. Unfortunately for the two teenagers on board their friends happened to be out as we trundled by. They sank into the background, hands covering their faces. To be honest I was a little embarrassed myself. But just as we arrived at our front door, the car just clapped out. Kaput! Not a kick. It was the final humiliation. I sat there shell shocked, disbelieving that we had actually arrived home in one piece and more to the point that that the car was now out of action. The silence was deafening. My little boy who is nine was the first to break the deafening silence.
“It sinks in the end….”
So last weekend we decided to drive to the Titanic exhibition in Belfast from Dublin. There were no friends coming so it was ok in terms of embarrassment. I could let loose and be embarrassing Dad as much as I liked! So any time we mentioned the Titanic on the way up, funny Dad came out with, “It sinks in the end..” A line that was funny the first time. But even now I can understand how the kids groaned after the fourteenth attempt at humour. In fairness it was a great day, the exhibition is great and gives an insight into the gigantic scale of the tragedy that happened. As we were led from the history of Belfast to the shipyard I could be heard whispering in my little ones ears…”It sinks in the end.” They started to walk away from me at one stage…disowning me and leaving me to do the tour alone. At one point I saw them run in a group around a corner when they saw me. The wife was with them which added to the hurt.
So we did the tour and, exhausted, headed for home content in the knowledge that we knew everything from the ship’s inception to it’s unfortunate demise. I suppose I was a bit naive to think that the noise in the car would be alright and that perhaps it would go away of its own accord. As we got closer to Dublin, it got worse, ( As it turned out it was the exhaust). The journey had taken its toll on the car and by the time we reached our little cul-de-sac, the noise was similar to a tractor that had exploded. We looked like the Beverly Hill-Billies on tour. Unfortunately for the two teenagers on board their friends happened to be out as we trundled by. They sank into the background, hands covering their faces. To be honest I was a little embarrassed myself. But just as we arrived at our front door, the car just clapped out. Kaput! Not a kick. It was the final humiliation. I sat there shell shocked, disbelieving that we had actually arrived home in one piece and more to the point that that the car was now out of action. The silence was deafening. My little boy who is nine was the first to break the deafening silence.
“It sinks in the end….”