I never knew my daughter felt this way....

[mojophone]

Also, I am curious how you are going to handle it if she comes home very upset with you? Will her feelings be taken seriously or will that turn into another opportunity for a joke too?

I was actually plesantly surprised at her reaction when she got home from school. She gave me a big hug and said Thanks for coming to school and having lunch with me even if you are a big goofball. My friends thought you were funny and wished their dad was more goofy like me.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

It's good that she wasn't mad about lunch. It helps that the other kids thought you're cool. Of course that's very typical.

What embarrasses my kids, their friends think is funny. What embarrasses my kid's friends, my kids think is funny and cool. And it can be the same behavior.

Just a little hint, as a parent of older kids--if she's embarrassed now by this behavior, take note and try to figure out what kind of a relationship you can develop with her.

Just as we wouldn't expect a baby to sit and listen to a 1/2 hour of storytime, but instead we'd be crawling around on the floor with them playing peek-a-boo and we'd be happy if we could read a couple baby board books to them. We need to nurture the relationship with our older kids that they will appreciate. And of course, that's different with every child. I have 4 kids and they are all so different.

Your DD will come around when she's older and appreciate your silliness as long as it's not too over the top. And she's more likely to do that if you respect her wishes now.

 

[va32h]

Did you go to have lunch with your daughter or to put on a show? When I have lunch with my kids, I concentrate on them, not on getting everyone else in the cafeteria to look at me.

Guess I am not able to contain myself under any circumstances. I just love being the goofball

You are an adult. You can control yourself if you want to. That's a pretty lame excuse.

And honestly, there is nothing in your "goofball" behavior that I myself would find particularly amusing. Running up to costumed characters, singing and yelling, okay.... that's not a gut-buster for me. I don't think it's wrong or bad, it just isn't something I'd find terribly entertaining to watch. Some of those folks that are laughing are probably doing so out of embarrassment for you, not amusement.

 

[Sandy V.]

Did you go to have lunch with your daughter or to put on a show? When I have lunch with my kids, I concentrate on them, not on getting everyone else in the cafeteria to look at me.

I agree. The OP's daughter is 7 years old. Her classmates think milk squirting out of your noise is funny!

If he tries the same attention grabbing stunts when she and her schoolmates are older, the response will be a heck of a lot different.

 

[mickeymousemom]

Mojo...you sound like an awesome father! we have the same shenanigans that go on around here...except its with me and not DH(he's funny, just not GOOFY). I have 3 DD's(2.5, 12, and 16) and the two oldest are so embarrassed by me at times. I go into Old Navy or any other hip teen store with great music playing and I dance! Of course, I do this to shock them, but they don't find it funny and they run off. If you've ever been to US, you know all the cool music they play in between the parking garage and Citywalk...well..I'm doin' my Ellen De Generes dance there too. I also do impressions of people and get all giddy about things...right in front of them. My 12 yo actually gets MAD! Oh well. People need more humor in their lives...i think your DD is just being a typical teen and will someday(if not already) appreciate your goofiness. I,for one, would love to be at WDW and run into you all!

 

[figment52]

My guess is that even though she is embarrassed by you the other kids think you are the best dad around. Don't change. She'll come around.

 

[mojophone]

Mojo...you sound like an awesome father! we have the same shenanigans that go on around here...except its with me and not DH(he's funny, just not GOOFY). I have 3 DD's(2.5, 12, and 16) and the two oldest are so embarrassed by me at times. I go into Old Navy or any other hip teen store with great music playing and I dance! Of course, I do this to shock them, but they don't find it funny and they run off. If you've ever been to US, you know all the cool music they play in between the parking garage and Citywalk...well..I'm doin' my Ellen De Generes dance there too. I also do impressions of people and get all giddy about things...right in front of them. My 12 yo actually gets MAD! Oh well. People need more humor in their lives...i think your DD is just being a typical teen and will someday(if not already) appreciate your goofiness. I,for one, would love to be at WDW and run into you all!

omg you dance in the stores too? My daughter isn't a teen yet and btw I am dreading the day cause I don't want her to grow up.

Now onto all of you people who have flamed me because of the way I act.

I look at it this way, I have more than enough in my life to make me just as serious as the next person. I get angry, upset, dissappointed just like you and everyone else does. One of the reasons I like being such a goofball is for the very reasons I just spoke about. I also do this to try and teach my kids and anyone else for that matter that cares to learn from me and my antics the you just can't take all of your life so seriously all the time. It also helps keep me sane in my touched in the head way.

I know what you see is someone who is not worthy of being called dad and thats ok. My son and my daughter might even agree with you when I ground them for getting a C on their report card because they weren't trying or when they go outside of the boundrys we have set for them for their safety. I show them pictures and take them places to show them that life isn't always fair and when they do stupid things or make poor choices in life these are the kinda places they could end up. And I tell them and show them these things and can tell them from my own personal experiences what it is like to be in those places and the things that I did in my life to end up there. Let me tell you it wasn't a pretty picture. They might also agree with you when I have them do their chores and make them do them over again when they don't do it right.

They might disagree with you though when I am up at night taking care of them because they have a fever. Or how about when I am giving them that huge bear hug telling them how proud I am of them for getting such great grades, or because their rooms are looking good. Maybe when we are just outside goofing around tossing a ball, or when they are cheerleading/playing football and they see me up there cheering them on having a great time.

My goofiness is how I show them that you can't always take life so seriously because honestly if you really let it get to you then Life can be a killer

 

[crazyme5kids]

Ahhh poor Dads. My husband came home stunned and crushed one day when my oldest daughter asked him to walk into school behind her ! I think she was in third grade.

 

[disykat]

Now onto all of you people who have flamed me because of the way I act.

]

No one has flamed you for the way you act - only for doing it at your dd's school, especially when she specifically asked you not to. There's a time and a place for everything and IMO, school is your dd's turf.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

No one has flamed you for the way you act - only for doing it at your dd's school, especially when she specifically asked you not to. There's a time and a place for everything and IMO, school is your dd's turf.

I agree! And like I've mentioned, I think that we should respect the wishes of our children as long as they are reasonable requests. But I don't think he likes my suggestions, at least he hasn't responded to my posts.

 

[poohandwendy]

No one has flamed you for the way you act - only for doing it at your dd's school, especially when she specifically asked you not to. There's a time and a place for everything and IMO, school is your dd's turf.

I agree too. Noone here has said you were a bad father or anything remotely like that.

What makes me scratch my head is that you started this thread talking about how bad it made you feel that your DD said that she was embarrassed by the 'goofy' behavior and did not want you to come to the school. But then, instead of finding another way to praise her for her positive behavior OR going there and behaving yourself (btw, as an adult you CAN control your behavior, unless you have a medical issue you haven't mentioned)...

You not only went to the school (when she asked you not to), but revelled in the fact that you DID exactly what she did not want you to do, embarrass her. It just seems like your feelings are not only more important than hers, but that you are pushing the issue even when you know it may hurt her.

It just doesn't make any sense.

 

[va32h]

I know what you see is someone who is not worthy of being called dad and thats ok.

Oh please. That's just a tad overdramatic, isn't it? Please quote the person who said you were not worthy of being called a father, or anything remotely close to that.

You acknowledge that your daughter finds your behavior embarrassing, and even admit that you are not surprised by her feelings. And then you cheerfully post that you purposely went to her school and made a point of doing something you knew she would find embarrassing. For....what purpose?

I don't care if you prance around WDW hollering at all the characters. You probably aren't nearly as funny as you think you are, though. (None of us are, alas). But no one is going to stop you from doing it, and if it makes you happy, well it isn't immoral or illegal so have at it.

But I don't think that deliberately embarrassing your child in school is teaching them a very good lesson - unless the lesson is "Don't expect me to care about your feelings."

 

[Tigger&Belle]

And there is a difference between running to the characters, dancing, etc at WDW, etc and doing something at school, in front of her friends. At least with my kids there's a difference. My kids give me a lot more latitude with silly behavior when we are on vacation than when we are here. As a matter of fact, my kids have even been known to embarrass me with their silliness when we are on vacation, which is sure a turn of events, but one that I find funny.

 

[disneymom3]

Did you go to have lunch with your daughter or to put on a show? When I have lunch with my kids, I concentrate on them, not on getting everyone else in the cafeteria to look at me.



You are an adult. You can control yourself if you want to. That's a pretty lame excuse.

.

So, what is up with the It's all About ME behavior? I think you lucked out that your DD was not royally ticked at you. I have a DD 9 and making people laugh at her is just not something I find amusing or would do intentionally. I was thinking your behvavior was boderline annoying in your first post, but getting a charge out of trying to embarrass your child is just not cool or funny.

PAW--as usual, you took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Oh please. That's just a tad overdramatic, isn't it? Please quote the person who said you were not worthy of being called a father, or anything remotely close to that.

You acknowledge that your daughter finds your behavior embarrassing, and even admit that you are not surprised by her feelings. And then you cheerfully post that you purposely went to her school and made a point of doing something you knew she would find embarrassing. For....what purpose?

I don't care if you prance around WDW hollering at all the characters. You probably aren't nearly as funny as you think you are, though. (None of us are, alas). But no one is going to stop you from doing it, and if it makes you happy, well it isn't immoral or illegal so have at it.

But I don't think that deliberately embarrassing your child in school is teaching them a very good lesson - unless the lesson is "Don't expect me to care about your feelings."

 

[Sandy V.]

Bumping because I would like the OP to see the excellent responses to his diabtribe about "I know you all think I'm a bad Dad and that's okay".

No one, including me, ever said or implied that you were a poor father. Not even close to it.

We questioned - and STILL do- why you would engage in such "Look at me, look at me" behavior at your daugther's school in front of HER peers.