Essential Tricks Father's Should Teach Sons

by Bart King

When important holidays like Accordion Awareness Day, International High Five Day, or Father's Day come along, it's important for us all to reflect on the contributions that accordions, high fives, and fathers have made in our lives. In the case of Father's Day, perhaps the words of the man who was nicknamed "Papa" can inspire us:

"To be a successful father . . . there's one absolute rule: when you have a kid, don't look at it for the first two years." Ernest Hemingway

Okay, obviously that wasn't a good idea. Instead, allow ME to be the one to advise the fathers out there that this Father's Day, the most valuable thing you can do for your son is to pass along the secrets of boyhood to him.

Below is a trick or two that you can teach your son. His mastery of them will make you proud and may induce him to buy you a decent gift next Father's Day!

Trick One: Shooting the Airball! The coolest thing that you've never done! Supplies: Two heavy non-flammable objects, a blow-drier, a ping-pong ball. Take the air drier and place it between your two heavy objects, like a couple of accordions. (Do not block the air-drier's intake vent with either of these!) Point the air drier straight up. Then plug it in and turn the hair drier on to its highest setting.

Now take your ping-pong ball and place it in the air stream about a foot over the drier. It should stay suspended in the air! If it doesn't, try placing it further up or down in the air stream. As gravity pulls down, the air pushes up, and the ball stays in the middle. From here, you can improvise a variety of tricks. My favorite is having a contest to see who can gently toss the ping-pong ball onto the air stream and (have it stay aloft) from the greatest distance.

Trick Two: Secret Message Man Who needs invisible ink when you have a potato? Supplies: a potato, a bathroom

This is a good way to leave an unexpected message for a family member. Take a potato and cut it in half. Using the cut end of the potato, write a message on the bathroom mirror. (Any message will do; "We need soap" or "Prepare to die!" are possible examples.) The message is invisible when you write it. However, when someone takes a shower next, your message will show up on the mirror because of the steam. You and your son can enjoy a chuckle when you hear exclamations of surprise and admiration from behind the bathroom door!

Trick Three: The Nickel Somersault The easiest magic trick of all time! Supplies: two quarters and a nickel. This is a "no skill" magic trick. Put the nickel between the two quarters. (It's a coin sandwich!) Hold this coin sandwich with your thumb and index finger so that the edges of the coins are parallel with the ground. Your other hand should be about five inches below the coins to catch them.

Now let go of only the bottom quarter! Both the quarter and the nickel will fall into your palm. However, even though the nickel was on TOP of the quarter when you let go, it will end up UNDER it. This isn't just loose change, it's downright acrobatic!