You may dispute me. You might maintain that the greatest dad is Warren Buffett, for teaching his kids to live on their own without inheriting his gazillions.
Or maybe it's Barack Obama or George Bush, for enabling their daughters to grow up surrounded by rose gardens and the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.
Perhaps you might argue for Will Smith, who finagles recording and movie deals for his kids despite their apparent lack of talent.
Or possibly you think the best dad is Prince Charles because... oh, forget it. He collects toilet seats.
You'd be wrong on all of the above and anyone else you might suggest. Want to know why my dad is the awesomest?
He just bought an iPhone.
Originally he resisted buying a cell phone, worried that he'd spend all of his driving time on it instead of enjoying classical music in the car on the way to and from his office.
He was right about that part, but the part he hadn't anticipated was that he could get in all his daily checking-in calls to the family while driving, so that he could enjoy music at home without interruption from the phone.
Before retiring, my father was reluctant to use a computer, out of fear that he might become hooked on it and never get off.
He was right about that part. His office gave him a computer and he learned to use it. Then he learned to fix software problems. Then he taught himself to conquer hardware issues. Then he stepped up as tech support for every member of our family, including his older brother. He taught himself all the mysteries of Excel, and now he excels at Excel, managing family finances for those of us who were English majors. He pays bills online. He plays chess online. He researches online for the literature and music courses he teaches. Last week he joined Skype to communicate with four out of six grandchildren who are not in town this semester.
Yesterday, my father bought an iPhone. Today he bought his first app, Viber, which allows him to chat with all the dispersed grandchildren. Before the end of the month he'll be as knowledgeable on iPhone as his grandchildren.
Everybody's picking up iPhones lately. If my kids don't stop nagging for them I'm moving to Sweden in the middle of the night, where they'll never find me. Although iPhones are certainly cool and exciting, there's nothing too remarkable about having one any more.
So why is my dad so special just because he bought one? What makes him extra cool?
He's 79.
What makes you cool?
