In my zeal to post yesterday I was a little bit vague in describing some of the action.

Sorry. I’m no Dooce and my dadblogging has, previously, been quite limited.

Here, then, is a true story from the weekend, unedited and unabridged for the internets:

I love frightening little children. There, I said it. I have a sickness, but you try resisting the urge to hide behind a corner or tickle an otherwise peaceful child. It’s too tempting, I tell you!

So Raelyn is just as mischievous as her father. She takes great delight in turning off the light in the garage every time I take out the trash or look for pest control/gardening/pond chemicals.

Needless to say, it isn’t much fun to be plunged into total darkness in a musty garage, so I decided to get a little revenge, dad-style.

Don’t misunderstand me. I wasn’t trying to scare her to death or scar her for life, but a little jovial spooking is the cornerstone of instilling a sense of humor and prank-prone behavior. Trust me, I’m the dad here.

Anyhow, in the pitch black of the garage, I crept up to the door leading back in to the house and crouched down so my face was at eye-level to Raelyn. When she opened the door to laugh at the predicament she had created, I yelled “Boo!”.

Her reaction was priceless. For a split second there was wide-eyed silence followed shortly by a jump-hop and a scream and then the same infectious laughter that would have naturally come from her prank (the lights) on me. She even asked me to do it again several times and then had us reverse roles, with no fear or hesitation of the darkness or the garage.

And that is why I love this kid. Her sense of humor is genetically determined (at least in some small way) from me and her mom.

I love that she enjoys being just a bit frightened or surprised. I love that she’ll entertain my goofiness and one-up it with her own.

I just can’t wait to get her on a rollercoaster or help her truly enjoy her Halloween.

This, my friends, is the true meaning of fatherhood.