My dad is a grandpa for the first time this year. My sister and her husband because foster parents and currently have 4 kiddos. The kids call my dad "grand-cracker" and my mom "gram-cracker." Or maybe it is "gramps-cracker" ... I don't remember! It is so silly, but my parents like it!

I got a request to repost this father's day post from last year. Enjoy!

The Meanest Dad in the World

As a child, I had the “meanest dad in the whole wide world.” While other kids were out riding their bikes, counting toads, and enjoying summer vacation, I was cleaning toilets and making kool-aid for hundreds of campers. He didn’t believe the child-labor law was valid, so I began “volunteering” at our campground at an early age. I wasn’t alone in my suffering. My sister had the same mean dad as me.

Every week in the summer, my dad made me mow around every tree on the campground (24 acres worth) with a push mower and then do the detail work with grass clippers. He thought it important that I learn discipline.

While other kids were eating at the Dairy Mart for lunch, my dad thought it wise to teach frugality by making me eat hot lunches in the school cafeteria.

My dad insisted in knowing where I was at all times. You’d think we were in a chain gang. He had to know who our friends were and where we were going. If he said to be home at 10:00 pm, I was to be home at 9:55. If I wasn’t home until 10:01 (which I never dared), my curfew would become 9:00 until I went to college. I had no doubt he meant it. He valued punctuality.

My dad bought my sister and me a yellow hatch back that was previously used to haul sick calves to the vet. It was littered with dirty hay and smelled horrible. He said we could either drive that to school or ride the bus. He instilled the attribute of humility.

I had to get up on summer mornings… no sleeping in like the other kids. Someone needed to make hundreds of pancakes for the campers. Apparently that had to be me. He valued responsibility.

My dad always insisted on me telling the truth—the whole truth—every time, even if it killed me. He instilled honesty.

He made my sister and I share everything—our room, a can of grape soda, one hairdryer, one bathroom! (That instilled only fighting!)

Each spring, we painted and painted and painted – the camp pool, cabins, benches, walls, fences. Everything must look clean and we must learn to respect and take good care of our property.

He made us invest some of our money and give some to missionaries. We picked up pop cans and redeemed them for 5 cents each, then invested that money into CDs at the bank to help pay for college.

I couldn’t lie in bed “sick” like my friends and miss school. My dad’s motto, “No blood. No sympathy.” He wanted us to be strong.

He told me if I worked too slow, a turkey buzzard would eat my eyes! He expected no "dilly-dallying" and he expected the job to be completed correctly. I’m still a bit terrified of buzzards, but I'm a fast worker.

He made me skin the rabbits after we went hunting and know how to correctly hook a worm for fishing. He thought it important to know how to live off the land.

When other girls were wearing make-up and getting their ears pierced at 8 years old, he thought it was essential for me to “realize my natural beauty.”

My grades had to be kept up to par. I was not allowed to be a slacker or a drop-out.

If I wanted to play sports, I had to attend every practice and be early to get in extra practice. He believed in improvement. One time he made me learn to pace my running speed by driving behind me in the car and keeping the car going a certain speed.

He embarrassed me by showing up at my track meets in full camouflage hunting gear. He attended every sporting event… no matter how cold or miserable it was. I knew he always supported me.

I didn’t get an allowance, but had to earn every penny.

My dad demanded respect. He didn’t allow us to back-talk, cuss, or be rude to people.

I had to be home in time for supper because the family always ate a home-cooked meal together.

We had to monitor bluebird houses and frog populations and report them to the Department of Natural Resources. He thought we needed an appreciation of wildlife.

We had to be ultra quiet whenever he was in "his chair." That is where he prayed for us each morning and read the Bible.

I had to dress modestly at all times and dress nicely for church. The family had to be 15 minutes early for church, never later. The pastor might need help getting things ready. And it wasn’t about religion; it was understanding God’s gracious gift to us.

Out of his 2 children, both of us graduated with bachelor’s degrees, played collegiate sports, selected great husbands, and are now in ministry.

Neither of us have ever been arrested, drunk, or homeless.

He raised us to be responsible, honest, educated adults. We both can mow a lawn to look superb, we make fabulous pancakes, know how to eat very frugally, can skin a rabbit with our eyes closed, and we have incredible work ethics.

We value our property, can share a can of pop, and spot a tree frog in the dark. We value hospitality, volunteering our time, and giving to God’s work. We love our Heavenly Father.

Oh… and we’re never late!

I thank God I had the meanest dad in the whole wide world.

While in St. Thomas, we went to Coral World where we were able to feed manta rays. It was a fun experience!

I must say that ocean creatures creep me out a little. I don't really know why. I think the slime has something to do with it. Also, the fact that they could kill me might contribute to my paranoia! It's almost a feeling that I'm somehow trespassing into their world.

I don't let it keep me from snorkeling and swimming in the ocean. I love to watch the creatures from a far. I don't think I'd be a good scuba diver! Too close to the slimy things!

I've been fasting from politics this week. My life is so much more calm! I don't have to think about the name-calling, the back-room deals, the anger, the broken campaign promises. It is has been so nice and relaxing. I have so much I want to share about the healthcare bill and other political items, but I will wait patiently! I know some of you are thrilled that I'm not talking politics!

We went last night to see our ala mater's chorale who was performing in town. Then we hosted 4 college guys in our home last night. It was so fun to reminisce about our college days. Those were such wonderful years! It's amazing as I get older, college age kids look so young! They have their whole lives ahead of them and I hope they live those years to the fullest. These are good kids... most are studying to be in the ministry or teachers. What an awesome calling! I fed them breakfast this morning and I underestimated the amount of food it takes to feed four guys. My husband and I eat pretty light breakfasts, but these boys saw home-cooked food and dove in. They ate a lot so I hope they left full.

My sister and her husband received four foster kids last week... all from the same family. They have been super busy and I think the transition is going pretty well. They are at the dentist now. One of them is getting 7 cavities filled today!

My dad is on a missions trip to Uraguay. I'm so jealous! He hates flying so I'm so proud of him for going. I can't wait to hear all about.

Some of you may have heard about the China/Google dispute from last week. Basically, Google said they weren't going to filter their results anymore and they opened wide the door into China. People in China were able to search for political issues and there were no filters to stop it. China said no, that's not acceptable so Google took down their Google.cn site and redirected the traffic to Google.hk. For now, Chinese people are still able to get unfiltered web results through Google in Hong Kong. We're trying to figure out what to do with all our Chinese content that ranked so well on Google.cn in case the .hk site be forced down as well. Baidu, the Chinese search engine puts precedence on .cn domains and the Chinese government won't sell a .cn domain to a company outside of China. Gotta love the Chinese government, huh? So, we're stuck. This is what happens when the government gets involved in media filtering and limiting freedom online and in the press. The real damage here is happening to the Chinese people. It is very sad.

What's going on in your life?