My father was born in 1926 on a farm that is now at the bottom of Lake Tawakoni, just east of Dallas. He and his seven siblings picked cotton. He left high school at 17 to join the Navy and he served in the Pacific in World War II. He came home, married Mom, put six kids through Catholic school, was a brick mason for 40 years, retired when I graduated college, and for Father’s Day this year he got an iPad.
My delightfully techno-savvy brother got it for him after Dad had lunch with his 80-year-old sister, my Aunt Geneva. Geneva told Dad about her e-mail address and Dad decided he wanted an e-mail. The iPad was the easiest way to get him connected without a computer. He wished me a happy Father’s Day via e-mail. It was the most wonderful gift I could have gotten.
I took it a step further a couple of weeks ago. I shot the above video and posted it to YouTube. I sent him the link and asked for his advice. Here’s what he sent: “Either add sheet rock to the existing rock or add 1 x 2 strips where you have taken sheet rock off to make the wall match. Might be cheaper than a plumber. Hard to tell what might be best. The headaches of remodeling. Good luck.”
The versatility of this device and his acceptance of this technology allowed me to seek and receive his counsel in a way that doesn’t really work on the phone. Since then I have sent photos of the bathroom remodel and we’ve talked about it. It’s another level of connection with another tool for communication.
Next up: We’re cutting down a tree.
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Love it. Let’s introduce your dad to mine. He’s got the iPhone down, so maybe an iPad is in his future??