{"id":4520,"date":"2009-06-28T18:36:35","date_gmt":"2009-06-28T22:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4520"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:13:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:13:25","slug":"fatherhood-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4520","title":{"rendered":"Fatherhood 101 (by Storm)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>Here is my story for the June challenge. As always hope you don’t think it was a waste of your time to read.<\/p>\n

Rated: K+ \u00a01100<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Fatherhood 101<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMay I please have everyone\u2019s attention?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stood before the crowd and waited until he felt it was quiet enough for everyone to hear what he wanted to say. Finally it was. \u201cI am sure you are all aware of the reason why we are gathered here but just in case there are some who heard the celebrating and thought that one or more persons wouldn\u2019t be noticed I will tell you. We are here celebrating my son Adam\u2019s return home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheriff Roy Coffee, who was a good friend to Ben, knew that Ben Cartwright could go on for hours especially when talking about his sons and Roy wanted to celebrate a little more. He thought perhaps to point out to Ben what he was guilty of might take some of the wind out of his sails. Roy should have known there was no one who could do that today, or almost no one. \u201cYou sound awful proud Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truth be told Roy was feeling a little proud himself. After all he had known Adam for more then half of that boy\u2019s life and to Roy he and his brothers were like his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why shouldn\u2019t I. After all he did graduate at the top of his class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was not one who enjoyed having his accomplishments announced and he knew that normally his father would have respected that without needing to be reminded but he also knew his father had been celebrating so he thought perhaps a subtle reminder would help. \u201cPaaa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben knew of his sons wish for privacy where his successes were concerned so he decided to honor it for the most part. \u201cOh come on Adam this celebration is a culmination of all your hard work so let the party commence!\u201d<\/p>\n

********<\/p>\n

Adam knew they would all try to help Hop-Sing clean up tomorrow he also knew that chances were Hop-Sing would have everything cleaned up before they even awoke. It would be as if a party of that magnitude and length had not even taken place. \u201cPa thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor what son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a really great party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun. I just wish that\u2026well that we had been able to give you one just as fun when you had left for school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had caught his father looking around almost lost a few times during the evening and he just seemed to know he had been looking for his step-mother Marie. Adam had caught himself doing the same. Things had happened so quickly when he\u2019d left for college there had been little time to mourn her passing just a few months prior. While back east he could almost convince himself she was still here with his father and brothers and that when he came home\u2026 \u201cPa I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa we\u2019re bachelors right?\u201d Joe knew it was late and he had never been allowed to stay up this late before. He knew that questions were always a good way to stall his father.<\/p>\n

Ben wondered where this might be going. \u201cYes Joseph we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Adam is too right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Like his father Adam wondered where this would lead. \u201cYes Joe I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why would all those girls at the party be sayin\u2019 you was a most desirable bachelor and that I would be one too when I got a little older. I mean I thought all girls wanted to get married and bachelors don\u2019t get married right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe all men are called bachelors before they get married.\u201d
\n\u201cBut pa Adam ain\u2019t gonna go and do that not when he don\u2019t have too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just why is it you think I don\u2019t have too little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCause what else are girls good for \u2018cept cooking and cleaning and stuff and we got Hop-Sing for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought there were quite a few things his son had yet to learn. \u201cThat may be Joseph, but there are other things girls are good for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh you mean kissin pa? Adam don\u2019t need to marry no girl for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought maybe his youngest knew more then he thought he could also see his eldest son starting to squirm slightly. \u201cAnd why do you say that Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause pa Adam kisses girls and he ain\u2019t married to none of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh really.\u201d Ben didn\u2019t miss that Joe had used the plural.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah pa I even heard some of those girls sayin\u2019 that he was like some medieval knight, the kind all girls dream of. They even said he should have a white horse. Ain\u2019t that silly cause Adam\u2019s got a perfectly fine horse it don\u2019t matter that he\u2019s a chestnut.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle brother you sure heard a lot you shouldn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not true Adam. They knew me and Hoss was there. Right Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

Up until now Hoss had stayed quiet. He didn\u2019t really like to push his way into a conversation and when it came to his little brother sometimes pushing in was the only way to get a word in, but now that he had been brought in maybe he could ask a question of his own. \u201cThat\u2019s right. They saw us standing there. Hey pa can I ask you a question?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben felt certain Hoss\u2019 question wouldn\u2019t be anything like Joe\u2019s and boy was he right. \u201cWhat is it Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat tassel a Adam\u2019s you said he wore it on his hat when he graduated?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes but that hat is called a mortarboard son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo girls wear mortarboards?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss they aren\u2019t hats you wear everyday. You only wear one when you graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Then why is it Adam I heard a girl sayin\u2019 how she would like to wear it to a dance with you \u2018cept that she would need a matching pair?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam quickly got to his feet. \u201cI gotta go pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben grinned as his eldest son looked for a place to escape too. \u201cYou don\u2019t even want to try to answer this Mr. College Graduate?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa not even college can give us the answers to everything that\u2019s why God gave us fathers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled as Adam disappeared upstairs. He knew that he\u2019d just been given a very great compliment from a man who didn\u2019t give them freely. That\u2019s when it really hit him. His son was a man.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n

At the sound of his youngest son\u2019s voice Ben turned his attention back to the two boys he still had. Two boys who were looking at him with great curiosity. Even they couldn\u2019t imagine what the answer their father would give them would be because right now their father was still trying to think of one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Here is my story for the June challenge. As always hope you don’t think it was a waste of your time to read. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated: K+ \u00a01100<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":3478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[39,23,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaps-spurs","category-drama","category-challenges","wpcat-39-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1326,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12012,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12012","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":0},"title":"Shame (by pbeaking)","author":"pbeaking","date":"June 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 The loss of Marie has caused Ben to lose his desire for life itself. He has withdrawn from his work, his friends, and most importantly his family. He has taken his anger out in town and now must face the consequences for his actions. Can Roy Coffee and his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/storm.jpg?fit=615%2C407&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/storm.jpg?fit=615%2C407&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/storm.jpg?fit=615%2C407&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46833,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46833","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":1},"title":"New Years’ Traditions (by Sibylle)","author":"Sibylle","date":"December 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Roy Coffee helps not only Ben in his grief. Rating:\u00a0 G Words:\u00a0 2.500 Written for the Bonanza Brand 2023 Advent Calendar","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Christmas-Traditions.jpg?fit=639%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12426,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12426","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":2},"title":"Close Call (by Tauna Petit-Strawn)","author":"Tauna Petit-Strawn","date":"August 4, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: A short piece written for a good laugh. Hope you will laugh as hard as my sister and I did! Rating:\u00a0 K+ (1,760 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/coming-soon-6.jpg?fit=303%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5548,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5548","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":3},"title":"Back to Good (by gaerwn)","author":"gaerwn","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Hoss isn't sure things will ever get back to normal. WHN for \"The Lawmaker\" Rated:\u00a0K+ (1,785 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Hoss"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Hoss","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1090"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/roy-coffee.jpg?fit=251%2C200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":46189,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=46189","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":4},"title":"Friends and Family (by frasrgrl)","author":"frasrgrl","date":"August 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0After suffering a tragic loss Ben learns true friends are really family. Rating: K+ Word Count: 822","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/PPPT-pic.png?fit=588%2C325&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/PPPT-pic.png?fit=588%2C325&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/PPPT-pic.png?fit=588%2C325&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13838,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13838","url_meta":{"origin":4520,"position":5},"title":"Betrayal (by HelenB)","author":"HelenB","date":"December 27, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Joe feels responsible for the death of a friend and with Christmas not far away, it doesn't look like it will be a happy one. Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (16,265 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/LJshadow1.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/LJshadow1.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/LJshadow1.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/LJshadow1.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}