A New Twist On An Old Rhyme

The things fathers teach their sons are remarkable. From their earliest moments together, fathers groom their sons for life in the world. They teach them how to play catch, how to ride a bike, how to shave, how to show respect for others and nature, and how to be a good son, brother, husband, and father. Somewhere along the path of weaving the threads of humility, humanity and morality, fathers interlace a patch or two of humor, for what good is an examined life without a splash of color to brighten the overall palette and add character to the disjointed lines of boyhood?

Friday evening, Xavier emerged from his bath to share with me a rhyme his father taught him while preparing him for bed. X's smile preceded his entrance from the hallway with a chorus of, "Mom! I have something to tell you." If I hadn't noticed one of my Christmas gifts adorning his calves like an 80s style Olivia Newton-John exercise video, I would have missed Xavier's rehearsed delivery, compliments of his childlike father who just happened to be lurking in the shadows waiting for my reaction to his new twist on an old rhyme.



"Chinese, Japanese, Dirty Knees, Look at These!" Xavier kicks his right leg in similar fashion to a Radio City Rockette. He is quite proud of his performance as his father enters the room displacing a rib from laughter. What can I say? Little boys have fathers to teach them not only the finer points of civilized behavior, but also the finer points of comedic timing. As a mom, I was left with no other choice than to raise my camera phone and immortalize this moment, as I am sure Xavier will one day forget how his daddy scraped together his best mental resources in revitalizing one of the more memorable poems in the history of English literature.