Yes, I'm that Dad.

I was picking up Benjy from choir last night when I hear.

"Mr. Bug, Benjy has something he wants to ask you." This was from one of Benjy's friends that also happens to be a cute little blonde. We think he may like her. Just a bit.

So, I'm thinking, what could Benjy want to ask me, that R has mentioned. He kind of shrugs his shoulders, asn in his famous Benjy mumble, so "I mmskd kjsdi" Yeah, that cleared it right up.

So R, who is now joined by E - another girl that happens to be a friend, who I think likes Benjy. Can you see these triangles forming, already at the young age of 13? Anyway, R says something about Cold Stone Creamery - Ice cream!! (You already know what I'm going to say, don't you?) Then E chimes in, "but it has to sound like it's YOUR idea."

Okay. No problem.

We head upstairs - oh by the way there is also two boys with this group, E's brother B, and their friend J, who has a brother E that I always get mixed up. Got it?

Upstairs I see R's mom and E and B's mom, who also has their sister C! This trying to protect identities is getting confusing to me, so I may stop soon. I walk up to them and say.

"My, doesn't Cold Stone sound like a great place to go, right now, even though it's a school night (I should mention that ALL of these kids are homeschooled, so that argument gets swatted away, immediately), and it's something like 20 outside?"

Now you can see the mom's fighting this temptation, not really that hard, but fighting it just the same. "But E isn't here." "C already has her jammies on." "It is cold outside, isn't it?" "Did you get all of your homework finished?" (You can sense that we are going, at this point, can't you?) "Well, as long as J says it's okay to go without E."

Poor kid, now has the pressure of being the deciding vote on our ice cream crusade. "I don't want E to be mad at me." "We'll buy him a gift card!" What is amazing about that last statement is that both R and E said it, at the same time, in a very loud voice. So loud, in fact, that those praying in the room next to us, all looked over and just shook their heads.

Oops. Don't want anyone praying to be mad at us. Bad mojo, you know.

Anyway, J said yes and we were off to get the ice cream. I'm not really a big fan of Cold Stone, but I felt the sacrifice was warranted. Really, I did. So much so, that I got the Gotta Have It size. That's large for you Cold Stone virgins. Something called a Peanut Butter Sensation, or something like that. It contained chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cup, peanut butter and chocolate syrup. I wish they would have put in two peanut butter cups, but I think I will survive. :-)

To insure my survival, I brought one home for Jenni.

I ain't no dummy!

So, yes, I am that Dad. You know of who I speak. The Dad that gives in easily to the slightest bit of pressure. The Dad that revels in seeing smiling faces on kids faces, and not just his own.