The little piece of tape that connects a father and son

It's been at least 20 years, but that little piece of tape is still stuck just inside the top drawer of my desk.
It's brittle and yellowish now, but somehow it's still stuck there, right where I put it years ago, sometime after my oldest son went in for surgery on his wrist.
Because I'm a father, not a mother, I can't remember when it happened, nor do I recall all the specifics of it, like how old he was or how long the surgery lasted. But I do remember him going into the hospital that day.

Turn off the music and talk to your kid? Sometimes it's better to just "Let It Be"

So, the other day I decided to take my teenage son, Mr. Smarty Pants, with me on a work assignment. During the 30 minute drive, I put my iPod on a 60s/70s music mix I'd created a long time ago.
Now, I realize this doesn't look good. A good father is a good communicator, after all. And with 30 uninterrupted minutes to spend together, I probably should have used the time to have a nice heart-to-heart chat with my boy.
In theory, that's what I should have done.
In practice, I think the music was every bit as rewarding.
See, young Mr. Smarty Pants is the youngest in our family and as such, he's been influenced from many different directions.