The Case: The People vs. Wave at the Bus Dad
The Charge: Cruel and unusual parentry
The Evidence:
In early 2010, Dale Prince learned that his son's bus route was changing and that it would actually be going past their house every day. Like any reasonable person, his first thought was "How can I use this to embarrass my son?". The answer... every morning he sees his son off to school by waving at the bus... dressed in a costume. Not only does he do this every morning, he makes it his mission to ensure that no two costumes are the same. As expected, when there is a grown man dressed in a mermaid costume, Dale has gained a bit of national attention. Which I am sure his son loves.
For over 170 school days, Dale has documented his full line of costumes on his site. These getups range from ninja to birthday suit (And no, he is not waving at the school bus naked. I am sure that is a different father down the street.) Here are a couple of examples for your consideration:
The Prosecution:
Good people of the courtroom, I ask you not whether Mr. Prince is a good father, I ask you whether or not this is the activity of a sane and reasonable man. Sure, Mr. Prince is clever and seems to be a fun guy, but is this really the type of example that you want to set for your child. Shouldn't Mr. Prince try being a better member of the community? Maybe instead of spending the time gathering costumes, he could be volunteering his time for a worthy cause? Or perhaps volunteering for the local Neighborhood Watch on the lookout for the weirdo in the neighborhood that dresses up in costumes and waves at underage children... that way he could kill two birds with one stone. I argue that Mr. Prince is more of a public nuisance than a positive influence.
The Defense:
What the prosecution is clearly overlooking is the bond that is being created between Mr. Prince and his son. Sure, it is an unorthadox approach, but his son will have a memory that no other child will have. In a country where almost 26% of households have no father figure in them, are we to judge a man who not only wants to be a part of his son's life, but goes so far to make every day special and memorable for his son? I say that is no country I want to be a part of. I think the efforts of Mr. Prince are to be praised. I say if the mermaid costume fits, you must acquits.
The Verdict:
After weighing the evidence before me, I rule the accused... not guilty. How can you not support a man that just wants to torment his son a little. It could be worse—he could be like half of the dads I grew up with that show up at school drunk, yelling slurs, and reliving the glory days of Junior Varsity Football. As much as the kid probably hates it, this will be a bond that he will have with his dad for the rest of his life. I need to start planning how I can top this.
Stuntecution: Unneeded
Make sure you check out Dale's website at:
What ideas do you have to torment and embarrass your kids?
- Not a parenting blog, not a daddy blog, not a mommy blog — it's a Stunt Dad blog.
- Not a parenting blog, not a daddy blog, not a mommy blog — it's a Stunt Dad blog.
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