Waving at the Bus

You thought your dad was embarrassing. Stories of bath-time in front of your significant other, baby photos when you were in your teens, and tales of the first time you “made potty” likely don’t compare to the stores this sixteen-year-old will tell his kids.

Makani Rain Price, who goes by Rain, started his sophomore year of high school this past year. Rain’s father, Dale Price, decided to wave to his son on the bus every day from their doorstep. But, he did this a little differently than most parents would: Mr. Price decided to wear a new costume every day, all 170 days of the school year when he went out onto the doorstep.

“No recycling of costumes, that’s the rule,” Dale said. “I managed to adhere to that and for better for worse, we have some interesting costumes.” The costumes ranged from Disney themed The Little Mermaid characters to a wedding dress and a pirate.

Their blog, where you can see all 170 costumes diligently documented, states that they didn’t spend more than $50.00 dollars total on the costumes. “Most of these costumes were borrowed from neighbors and friends (you’d be surprised what your neighbors have in their closets!), or found in our costume boxes from years past.”

Rain’s father, a full-time stay at home dad, said that the decision to do this was a way to show his son how much he cares. As a result, Mr. Price says it’s worth the effort. “It’s a way of letting him know that we really care about him, but do something a little different,” he said. “It’s a father’s way of (saying I love you).”

But don’t expect Rain to be thanking his dad. Despite the other students’ growing excitement for the costume every day, often times waving back, Rain says his embarrassment alone is enough of a reward for his father.  Though, he did admit that even though it was embarrassing he enjoyed waking up with his dad in the morning.

Rain’s father’s thoughts on his embarrassed son? “I hope this lives with him for the rest of his life,” Dale said. “He can use it against his kids and tell them, ‘If you think you are embarrassed by me, you should have seen your grandfather.’ That sort of thing.”

The memories are sure to linger with Rain, leaving him mental mementos of his father for years to come.

Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm encourage parents to find new and creative ways to have a lasting and positive impact on the lives of their children.