The Voice of My Conscience

Friday I was working on a post for one of my other blogs, my work blog, and I was looking for a specific song by Harry Chapin.* As I was looking for that song I stumbled across THIS song below, which is far and away Chapin's most well known work.

And as I watched the video it occurred to me how influential this song has been on an entire generation. I've read and heard several times before and in several places that my generation of fathers is--compared to previous generations--by far the most involved in their children's lives. And while there are many reasons for that, I honestly believe that this song is an important one of those reasons. 

At least it is for me. I take my kids to the neighborhood pool a couple of times a week, and I'll often be sitting at a table poolside with a book or with some work that I need to get done, and inevitably after a few minutes one of the children will come up to me dripping wet and say, "Daddy, will you come get in and play with us?" And I'll  tell her no, that I'm reading or that I have work to do, and then I'll hear in my head the opening chords of this song, and I'll find myself stripping down to my bathing suit and getting into the pool. 

Even this post has been delayed, thanks to this song. My daughter came into the office Friday night and asked if I'd play Uno with her or at least do SOMETHING with her, and I started to tell her no, that I was writing a blog post about how I was involved in her life, and then I realized the irony of that and turned off the computer monitor and went and played with her. 

So thanks, Harry Chapin, for being the voice of my conscience for years now...

(I can't see the video.)

*You won't see the other Harry Chapin song on my work blog yet, though. I wrote the post in advance for something planned this Friday, which is when it will be on that site.