I work in a store that caters primarily to children, and adults that work with children (name withheld so I don’t lose my job). At any rate, I see parents and their children interact on a daily basis. For the most part, the children are brats, and the parents don’t treat their kids like people. Today, however, a father and son came in that gave me faith in modern parenthood. The father was kind of the eager type, pointing out lots of stuff to his kid. Not badgering, just very interested in the organization his son is in. The son was kind, polite, and cheerful. They looked at hiking sticks, some that cost upwards of $50, but decided on one that was just a plain piece of wood. Their plan was to stain it, and craft it themselves in the tool shop. Father and son spending quality time on something for the boy. Creativity put into action. I was beside myself. On top of that, something that caught my attention was that the father called his son terms of endearment like “sweetie,” and “honey.” The boy wasn’t embarassed, nor did it seem to phase him. I never had a great relationship with my dad, but I haven’t known many dads to be as cool as the one I met today. I wanted to give him a hug. Now I kind of regret not doing so… I hope his son hugs him.