My intent was not to teach a lesson, only to have fun and embarrass my wife.

So much for that plan.

It started this morning as  I ran out the door to tell my wife something as she left for work. I opened the driver’s side door of our green Honda Civic, talked for about 30 seconds and walked around the front of the car still parked in the driveway.

Then it hit me how I could have some fun. I immediately bent forward  and looked at my wife through the car front window. I pointed at her, then wrapped my hands toward my chest in an exaggerated motion and mouthed the words, “I love you.”  She smiled big, shook her finger at me and turned to back out.

Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I walked a few steps down the driveway and repeated the motions in an even more exaggerated manner in her direction. She smiled even more, shaking her head as she slowly accelerated down the road.

As I turned around smiling to myself, I could Spencer attaching the strap to his bike helmet inside the garage watching the whole thing. He had the biggest grin.

“Boy, we sure got mom, didn’t we?” I said, giving him a high five.

A little while later, I thought about what just happened.

Sure, my wife was probably embarrassed, but she knew how much I loved her. My son witnessed an unintended dad object lesson, something he will remember much longer than a lecture or a book.

Some days as a dad, you get things right without even thinking about it.