Since my wife decided to stay at home almost five years ago after my bout with malignant melanoma, I’ve had the pleasure and privilege (really?) of driving my two older kids to school each morning. It’s a ritual I love because I get to spend that half-hour it takes us to drive the 12 miles to school mixing it up with my kids before the busy work and school day.
Although I can be serious as a father at times, I pretty much joke around with my kids all the time. And the fact I have them all to myself for that half hour gives me the opportunity to live out my inner child with corny jokes, impressions and crazy observations. For that 30 minutes I get to play comedian with my kids as a captive (literally) audience.
But, like one of my heroes Rodney Dangerfield used to say: “I get no respect at all.”
One of my all-time heroes: Rodney Dangerfield
I throw everything I have at them: jokes, faux Indian accents, goofy cartoon voices, singing really bad and loud to songs on the radio, and even whimsical conversations with myself like they aren’t there.
What do I get in return? Bubkes!
When I asked my daughter about why they don’t laugh or comment back at me, she simply said this:
“Dad!”
When I pressed my 12 year old daughter some more, she fired back with this:
“To which Dad are you talking about? Who is this Dad you’re always talking about. I am simply your driver who can fill a Squishee faster than any human alive.”
I sort of feel like these guys bombing on stage:
Now, I know that’s not Comedy Central material. But I try my best to just be goofy and lighten the mood before a day of school.
Maybe its my threats of pulling up to the school and doing my rendition of “Sex Machine” by James Brown that gets them nervous.
Besides actually thinking I am very funny (at least to an 8 and 12 year old), I do think my kids will look back at these moments with a smile. After they’ve left the comfort of home and start living their pre-adult or adult lives, they’ll tell stories and remember fondly the jackass driving them to school each morning.
I also like to think they go into class with a bigger smile on their face than had I not done it.
The best thing for me, and perhaps most encouraging, is that I still have two younger kids who won’t start school for a few years. I’ll get to do this for at least another 16 years. That’s a lot of time to refine my act and get really good!
I AM the comedian in the front seat and my engagement never ends. Thank you. Thankyouverymuch.
As the Director of Social Media at tax giant H&R Block, Scott Gulbransen recently returned to the tax business after previously spending 1o years at rival Intuit working on the TurboTax & Quicken brands. He brings 16 years as a marketing communications professional, and 11 tax seasons, with him to H&R Block and was responsible for the launch of many key social initiatives at Intuit before leaving in 2010. A strategic thinker and business problem solver, Gulbransen has worked for some of the world’s top brands including TurboTax, Sony Online Entertainment, and Applebee’s.
In 2010, Gulbransen became the first Director of Social Media & Digital Content for Applebee’s, creating the first-ever social media strategy for the world’s largest casual dining chain. While at Applebee’s, Gulbransen lead a small but nimble team responsible for creating a robust and far-reaching social engagement channel for Applebee’s and its franchise community.
In addition to his professional accomplishments at the corporate level, Gulbransen is also a prolific blogger recently named as one of the Top 50 Daddy Bloggers in the US by Cision. Gulbransen was ranked #21.
As a member of the TurboTax communications and social media team for 10 years, Scott helped the TurboTax team launch and sustain the brand’s social media platform. He also drove and was responsible for the launch of TurboTax’s successful content strategy, including the launch of the TurboTax Blog. Recently, he launched one of the most significant social media campaigns in the brand’s history with the @TeamTurboTax Twitter project.
Gulbransen was instrumental in reinvigorating the Quicken brand almost entirely through the use of social media and, particularly, Twitter. By engaging with customers and influencers who talk about personal finance on Twitter, he and his team helped Quicken Online grow from just 200,000 users in October 2008 to over 1.4 Million in just 10 months. This led to a more focused look at the personal finance space for Intuit and, ultimately, the acquisition of Mint.com.
A former print journalist, who, after realizing his paychecks from the newspaper industry weren’t going to get much bigger, turned to the Dark Side – public relations. After working in both college athletics and inside mid-size agencies, he joined Intuit in 2000 and Applebee’s in 2010. He is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and is the married father of five kids.
Despite his busy personal and professional life, Scott is a digital native who never strays far from social networking. To hassle Scott, or to tell him how great you think he is (or not!), email him at scott@scottgulbransen.com, add him to your Circles on Google+, or ping him on Twitter at @sdgully. Scott also is an editor and writer for Technorati.com.
It’s the age. My kids are 6 and 3 and my materials absolutely slays them. It’s simple – “I’m gonna eat your socks!” elicits peals of laughter. “Now I’m gonna eat the steering wheel, I am so serious, you can’t stop me, omnomnomnom….”
It’s the age. My kids are 6 and 3 and my materials absolutely slays them. It’s simple – “I’m gonna eat your socks!” elicits peals of laughter. “Now I’m gonna eat the steering wheel, I am so serious, you can’t stop me, omnomnomnom….”