You Can Just Call Me John Wayne

You can just call me John Wayne.  This is what my oldest boy Tyler told me when he was just a little guy.  I guess I can’t think of a better person to want to be.  He loved to watch John Wayne.   

I fell in love with this boy right away.  You see he came into my life when he was around two.  He fit right in he is a Stubbs all the way. 

I was pretty hard on him; you see we were both learning.  I treated him like he was much older than he really was.  He just wanted to do anything I wanted him to do.  Together we took on the world he was right by my side most all the time. 

I wanted to share a few memories I have with Tyler.  Right from the beginning we did most everything together.  One of his favorite things to do was sit on my lap while we were driving on the farm.  I would let him drive he was pretty good it was not long before I had him driving by himself.  When he was four years old he was driving on the farm.

It was in the spring during high water he went down to the creek with me.  The high water had washed a lot of narrow ditches in the fields.  As we were walking down the creek bank looking at the fences Tyler was stomping in all the water he could find.  I was walking pretty fast I stepped over one of the narrow ditches full of water it looked pretty deep.  As I was turning around to tell Ty to jump over it but it was too late I was able to grab his hand as he went down the water was over his head.  As I pulled him up he was gasping for air.  The spring runoff was cold we had quite a walk back only this time he made sure he went way out around the water.

School I hated it I lost my buddy during the day.  We did not let that stop us from having fun it was winter I had got an old snowmobile from my brother.  We would get up really early it was still dark we would bundle up.  We would take off down to the creek on that old snowmobile and ride all morning not getting back until just before school and work.  We would be freezing cold but it was worth it.

We were moving cows on the creek one summer I think Ty was eight at the time.  My brother Shad drove down by the Southam’s   place I drove down from the house.  We pushed the cows into the other pasture Shad ended up where I was at so I offered to drive him around to get his truck.  He told me there was no need he had asked Tyler to bring it home.  Now I did not mind Tyler driving on the farm but he would need to bring this truck around threw the city of Naples; cops, houses, traffic and shad nick named his truck DEATH.  He made it with no problems except my heart attack.  

Me and my brothers had a few old semi-trucks and an old Pay Loader along with a couple old farm tractors.  I think Ty was around eight or nine at the time.  We had him driving them big trucks and that big old loader.  Looking back I must have been crazy he was still just a kid.  Although he did a good job it’s no wonder he runs a loader for a living now.

We did many things together we never have stopped learning together.  He has been teaching me how to be a Dad and he has turned into a man.

I hope to write many more stories I have with my son Tyler.  I love him so much I hope he will have many good memories with his own son.

I Love You Tyler Thank you for being such a great son.