Cool Dad...Mr Baker

I just saw this movie-CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN.
It was one cool, funny as hell, interesting movie. You know the kinda popcorn grubbing, ice cream licking, couch rolling, rib cracking movie you love to watch with family/friends.
I guess some of you must have seen this movie but for those that haven’t am going to try to tell the storyline in a few sentences.
Okay so the movie is centered round the Baker family, a family of fourteen: Father, Mother and a dozen children. It captures their experiences as individuals first and also as part of a BIG family, the love they share, the naughty kids’ pranks, their adventures and travails.

This is not just about the movie but about the Hero of the movie, The Dad, Mr. Tom baker played by Steve Martin.
I know its all make believe but for me, in that movie he represented what the perfect father should be like.

You see,I do not share a close relationship with my father . We live in the same house but sometimes we don’t even set eyes/speak to each other for days on end(its crazy right? But its true!) Sometimes the only word I say to him throughout the week is probably ‘good morning’ which he barely acknowledges anyway.
It’s not just me, it’s the same for my other siblings. None of us are close to him like that. My mum is the one who is chummy with everyone. She is so interested in knowing what’s up with you that sometimes it tends to be meddling but all the same its all good since she makes up for the lack of attention from my dad. Its so bad that we’ve all gotten used to living that way so much that it’s become very normal.

For as long as I remember, dad has always been like that. So into himself and himself alone! He didn’t bring us up with that sense of family that was evident in the movie (spoken of above) and that I have seen in the homes of some of my friends.
When I was much younger, I used to wish some of my friends’ dads were mine, I would see they way they joked around and played with their daughters and I’d wonder why mine was so different(funny enough, they also wished they had a dad like mine but only us knew the real dad).
When I see my dad laugh so heartily with outsiders, I would wonder why he never laughed that way with us. Was it that we didn’t meet his standard or what? Anyway, I lived with it(still living with it) and I have learnt to accept things the way they are.

I know lots of girls pray to marry a man like their dads but in my case I pray to God daily not to give me a husband who finds it difficult to show affection to their family like my dad. Please do not get me wrong. My dad is not that bad. He is veryyyyyyyyy handsome and I do not know another man who is more responsible than my Father. I could vouch for his fidelity to my mum since they got married(SERIOUS!!!) and he has always provided for us all this years at least until we started working. It’s just that when it comes to the emotional angle…you know all that fatherly love…its just not his style!
Now enough about my dad, lets go back to Mr. Baker and why am giving him ‘The perfect dad award’.

So, there was this point in the movie(Part 1) when they had to move from the countryside to the City and his oldest son (about 21)who was missing his country belle decided he didn’t want to continue with college and he would rather move back to the country. They had a disagreement. The father insisted that the young man had to at least get a diploma which his son didn’t think was necessary since all he wanted was to live the simple life in the woods.
At a point the young man was so rude and defiant that I expected the father to get all angry and hit him but the way he handled the situation won my heart. With so much love and tenderness he was able to get his son to understand him and even got him to apologise for his attitude.

There were so many scenes where Mr. Baker displayed the Xteristics that make him a wonderful dad to me but I guess am just too lazy to recount all of them here.

I know that for some of you who have seen the movie, Mr. Baker may not even make the mark, probably cos your dads were even better than he was but please understand where that from where I am coming from he signifies the kind of father I would love to have –a man for whom family came first!

There was also the touching scene when his first daughter had a baby(Part 2) and she said the baby was to be called Tom(Her dad’s first name) because he was their hero and his love and sacrifices had gotten them so far. The sweet man even shed a tear as he cuddled the baby.

I think she said it in these words:
“For showing us that there is no way to be a perfect parent but so many ways to be a good one”

Okay so you still don’t get my drift ehn??
Go see the movie!

Ps: Am dedicating this post to Mr. Nandu(a wonderful father to his kids and adopted daughter-ME!) My boss(He won’t get to read this but he is a great dad, I have seen him with his kids so I know), aijay’s dad(For being daddy and mummy all these years) and to all the great dads we know.

Peace out!