I can’t remember what age he was when I started this, but I knew I was onto something once a few years passed. I’m the kind of parent who documents almost everything. Taking video or photos of life events will pay off in the long run. It sure did here.
My son still has a few more years before he can legally drive, but he’s damn near ready now. Will he be the next NASCAR superstar?
He’s 14 and eager to learn. I wound up showing him as much as I could about the engine, how to change a tire, and he already showed me a few new things about my Passat by reading the owner’s manual.
I didn’t do this for my daughter because she never showed an interest. She took over the culinary duties in the house instead and is cooking us delicious meals each night. Check out her Instagram page, and you’ll see how incredible she is. Maybe she saw my mistakes early on as a newly minted single father and basically told me to get the hell on up out of the kitchen for good!
That’s fine with me; she’s on her way to culinary school in the fall.
Trust me, I have plenty of photos with my girlie, but it was this little experiment with my son that was a joy to document.
I love my kids. I absolutely LOVE them. Fatherhood is the best.
Clayton Craddock is a father, independent thinker, and the founder and publisher of the social and political commentary newsletter Think Things Through and host of the Think Things Through Podcast. He also published a newsletter called Broadway Drumming 101.
Clayton is also the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University’s School of Business and is a 28 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music scene.
He has played drums in several hit broadway and off-broadway musicals, including “Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical, and Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill. Also, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Spongebob Squarepants, The Musical, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.