It is Father’s day.  My kids could not figure out what to get me for a gift.  They tell me that I am one of those Dads’s that have everything.  Maybe it is true .  It is difficult to say because I obviously do not have everything but as far as kids go and what they can afford to buy then it is true to that extent. 

When they ask me what I’d like to have I tell them not to bother but of course that never works so I end up with some trinket that collects dust or a paid of shorts that make me look like a candidate for the senior housing complex down the street. 

When the kids press me further to give them a gift idea I decide to use some imagination and give them something to search for. 

At dinner, I decide to spring in on them.  With as serious an expression as I can muster I call their attention and explain that I have a Fathers day wish that they can fulfill.   “Ever since I was a boy”, I begin.  My mom and dad would take me to the beach every summer and we would go swimming.  I wasn’t a very good swimmer so I would use a flotation device”.  The kids as well as my wife are watching me with wary eyes not sure where I am going with this.  I have not clued my wife in on the joke. 

I continue.  “One of the other kids at the beach had a raft that I saw and that I wanted to play with but it wasn’t mine and when I asked my parents to buy me one they said that we couldn’t afford it and that I would have to be satisfied with the one I had.”

The kids started asking, “Are you sure about this, dad?”  and “wouldn’t you rather have a fishing pole or an ottoman or maybe a new sweater?”

“No”, I said with an air of satisfaction.  “This will be my childhood wish come true .” 

I knew of course that such an item could not be found and only existed in my mind so I knew that I would really end up with a tie, flashlight, or something of that nature. 

“In fact”, I continued, “we have vacation planned and I want to use it at the beach.”

So the kids just nodded as we finished dinner.

Be careful what you ask because you just might get it. 

Here we are at the beach.  As I float around on my inflated purple turtle, I cannot help wondering how they found such a thing.   However, it does match the purple turtle swim trunks, the purple turtle sun hat, the purple turtle beach blanket and towel that they also got me.   I pull a cold drink out of my purple turtle cooler and enjoy the shade provided by my purple turtle beach umbrella.

Perhaps next time I will ask for a tie but with my luck, it will have a purple turtle print.