Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my father's 60th birthday, and I'd be remiss - and out of the will - if I didn't mention it here. My father is a true hero to the City of Philadelphia, having given almost 40 years of service to the fire department - all in the same station house, Engine 3 in South Philly. It was a dangerous choice for a profession, but he never regretted it.

I'll never forget the first time Randal Graves and I heard "The Speech." I was maybe 10 years old when he sat us down in the kitchen and told us that he has a dangerous job. He then hit us with a dose of reality: "There is a chance that I may go to work and not come back. I may die at my job."

Not exactly what a ten-year old and a seven-year old wants to hear.

But he followed that up with this: "But if I do die, I want you to know that I died doing what I love to do. I love being a firefighter more than anything else in the whole world. So, don't be sad."

And that was it. I remember crying a lot that night. What child wants to hear that from a parent? Occasionally, we'd get "The Speech" again, and when my sister - 16 years my junior - was old enough, she got it, too. It is one of my most vivid childhood memories.

I bring up this story because while it may not seem like an A+ effort in Parenting 101, it was top notch. Dad is tough. His dad was tough. And the last thing any Earp ever sought out to do was sugarcoat reality. (I guess that's why I'm so blunt.) I remember "The Speech" because it was blunt, but also because it worked. Luckily, I never had to face the option of Dad not coming home from work, but my children have to face it now. And while I am not giving "The Speech" to my children just yet, trust me: they will get it.

Why? Because my Dad was a terrific father who tried to prepare his children for the worst-case scenario, while hoping it never occurred. That's not insensitive . . . it's realistic parenting. And these days, America needs a lot more of that and a lot less "parenting by proxy."

Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you.