Proud Dad(s)

By RALPH HARDIN

Evening Times Editor

When i was a kid, one of my goals in life was to make my Dad proud. I wanted to do my best any time he was watching me play a sport, looking at my report card, acting in the school play or whatever it was.

The funny thing is, now I love to see my own kids make him proud. Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with three pretty great kids who have had the chance to make him proud on multiple occasions. My parents have always been great at going to and supporting my kids at “the thing” — whatever game or concert or church event is was they were being a part of. But now the kids are grown up and off doing “the thing” — be it college or work or raising their own kids. And now my Dad is pretty old, so he doesn’t travel much these days.

But thanks to technology, he can still keep up with the kiddos

See VIEWPOINT, page A6 VIEWPOINT

From page A4

via texting and video calling and Facebook, with the occasional in-real-life catch-up when they come home to visit.

Well, on Sunday, my daughter, who is a freshman at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and a member of the Arkansas National Guard, was asked to sing “God Bless America” at the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball game as part of their Military Appreciation Weekend (she’s in a group photo on Page 7, just FYI).

While we couldn’t make it up there due to the short notice and prior obligations, her boyfriend’s Mom was at the game and she recorded it. She was also on TV and on the Jumbotron at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Not gonna lie, I might be biased but I thought she nailed it. My wife showed my Dad the video and I think he was pretty moved by it. And I mean why wouldn’t he be?

It’s a video of his youngest grandkid, wearing her Army uniform (he’s a Vietname veteran), and she’s singing a song about God and America while at an Arkansas Razorbacks baseball game. If he’d been eating a slice of chocolate pie, he might have died and gone to Heaven right then and there.

I’m sure I’ve made my Dad proud many times in my life but I don’t think I’ll be able to top that one any time soon.

Good job, baby girl!