Greatest TV Dads Of All Time - Ward Cleaver of Leave It To beaver

While there are many complaints about television's negative influence on people, we can't forget that there have been some great TV role models. Over the next few days I will feature some of the greatest TV dads of all time, in celebration of Father's Day. 

Ward Cleaver, played by actor Hugh Beaumont, was the father of Wally and Beaver Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver". The show aired from 1957 - 1963, and has been enjoyed in re-runs over the years since it originally aired. Although the re-runs are 50 years old, the show seems timeless to me.

As a father, Ward believed in taking the time to have talks with his boys, but he never talked down to them. He was a very involved father and loved to teach his boys, but he never wanted to smother them with TOO much parenting. He would often step back and let his sons learn a lesson on their own, but he would keep a close eye when necessary to make sure they wouldn't get hurt. I think what helped him to be such an excellent father was that he had such a great memory of his own childhood, so he could easily see daily life from his kids perspective. But, he knew to keep the relationship as a father - son relationship, rather than to be too much of a "pal" to his kids.

The final scene in this video particularly touched me because it shows how the boys felt about their father. Clearly he was a success as a dad because of the way his sons felt about him. You'll see what I mean in the bicycle scene. 

Speaking of bikes, I was always very thankful to my dad for all the bicycle help he gave me over the years. In fact, here's how thankful I was to my dad (and still am!):

When I was in kindergarten, the entire school assembled in the auditorium to learn from police officers about the importance of bicycle safety. Just after everyone was settled and the police officers were ready to begin, they asked us what we knew about bicycle safety. Immediately, I launched my hand straight into the air. They pointed to me, so I stood up and proudly said to them, "One time the chain fell off my bike, and my dad fixed it."

They couldn't hear me the first time, so they asked me to repeat it. 

I loudly and proudly declared, "One Time The Chain Fell Off My Bike - And My Dad Fixed It!!!!" 

When my chain had fallen off my bike a few weeks earlier, I thought it was the death of my bike and all the fun I would have on it. Traumatized, I showed my dad the bike that could no longer be pedaled, certain that the bike would need to be placed by the trash can. But, my dad got down on the ground with that bike and got his hands dirty putting that chain back on - bringing my bike back to life. To me he was The Bike Whisperer. I wanted those police officers and that whole room to know that I wouldn't even have a bike to ride if it weren't for my dad, the bike miracle worker. 

The police officers all smiled and loved what I had to say. Although they were looking for lessons about looking both ways before crossing the road, or riding on the sidewalks rather than in the streets, I showed them what was even more important to me - having a dad I felt proud of!
 

Thank you to emily1307 for posting this "Leave it to Beaver" video clip on YouTube. 

And thank you to my dad and Ward Cleaver for being dads that their kids could look up to!