I'm Nicks Dad

Somewhere along the way I've ceased to be just Bill Fox. I'm not exactly sure how it happened...but I'm pretty sure it's my kids fault!

Oh sure we're all defined by our family, our job, the little quirks that make us all unique...but when did I become known simply as Jack and Nicks Dad? Not that it's a bad thing to be Jack and Nicks Dad...but Bill or Mr. Fox would be OK too!

Here's what I'm getting at...on Thursday my youngest son, Nick, took a school field trip to Merrill Auditorium to see the musical/play Junie B. Jones. Since it's only two blocks away from work I decided that I'd walk down and see it with him.

As the school buses arrived, I could see the eager young first grade faces, filled with excitement as they looked out the windows, eager to get inside. As Nick climbed off the bus he spotted me immediately and was quickly glued to my side. As other kids started climbing down from the bus..I was occasionally met with a "Hi Mr. Fox"...which I fully expected because many of them know me as the Cub Master for Cub Scout Pack 323. But then I began being peppered with "Hi Nicks dad"...or "Hey Nicks dad are you here to see Junie B. Jones?"...or "Hey Nicks dad, I heard you on the radio this morning."

And it wasn't just kids either. I heard one parent ask another, "Who's that guy in the red jacket with the kids?" The reply? You guessed it..."Oh...him? That's Nicks dad!"

Nicks Dad? OK...I am Nicks dad...but come on before I was Nicks dad I was Bill or Mr. Fox or Bill Fox from FRANK-FM! Hey, don't misunderstand...I love being Nicks dad...but I'm also kind of fond of being Bill.

So, after about the 5th or 6th time of being greeted as Nicks dad, I finally asked one little girl if she knew my real name. She said she had heard me say on the radio that it's Bill Fox, but her dad is convinced it isn't really my real name because no one on the radio uses their real name!

Oh my God...I almost fell over on the sidewalk right outside the Merrill!

I assured her that my real name is Bill Fox, and that lots of people on the radio use their real name. She tilted her head, looked at me as if she was trying to figure out whether or not I was trying to pull a fast one...then smiled and said, "OK Nicks dad...if you say so!"

Oh well...Nicks dad it is!