That Time My Kid Googled Me and I Was No Longer “Dad”

<p>&ldquo;Hey Daddy, are you popular?&rdquo; My eight-year-old daughter ambushed me one Sunday morning, her voice squeaking equally with cheekiness and curiosity.</p> <p>&ldquo;Huh?&rdquo; I said, deep in a different thought as I looked up from my phone, half-dazed in a scrolling coma.</p> <p>&ldquo;Are you famous?&rdquo; She hugged her iPad to her chest like it held information that could risk national security.</p> <p>&ldquo;Why do you ask?&rdquo; I quizzed, suddenly giving her my full attention, courtesy of my ego recognizing a stroking opportunity.</p> <p>She flipped the iPad around. &ldquo;Because I just googled your name and there are lots of photos and links and stories about you.&rdquo;</p> <p>I couldn&#39;t help but break into a smile. (Ego successfully stroked.) But then also a sense of dread as I thought, &ldquo;Oh geezus&hellip;what has she seen?&rdquo;</p> <p>Igrew up in the 1980&rsquo;s, when the pinnacle of technology in the house was the video cassette recorder. Although, we were the poor souls with the Betamax model. I vividly remember going to the video rental store with my parents, spoilt for choice with a grand total of &mdash; wait for it &mdash; about six movies to pick from! Seriously,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">&lsquo;The Goonies&rsquo;</a>? Again?! I mean, I&#39;d seen it that many times I was convinced searching for One-Eyed Willy&#39;s treasure was a viable career goal for me.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the VHS elite were drowning in a cinematic paradise with shelves upon glistening shelves lined with endless entertainment and exclusive access to &lsquo;rent one new release and get ten weekly rentals for free&rsquo; deals. Not that I was jealous. Do I seem jealous? (If you were born after about 1995 you probably don&rsquo;t know what I&rsquo;m talking about. Sorry. You&rsquo;re young, you&rsquo;ll get over it.)</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/illumination/that-time-my-kid-googled-me-and-i-was-no-longer-dad-c6ee368114f7"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>
Tags: Dad Longer