As a part of “D” week in our youngest son’s pre-K class, he and his classmates were interviewed about their dads. These interviews, which were transcribed and posted in the hallway, are a hilarious mixture of truth and exaggeration and, yes, also a bit of creative invention. This is what Ben had to say about me:

There were other quotes in the hallway, too, that seemed to be more concise and more truthful versions of the tall tales. Ben’s words get to the heart of the matter:

Tall tales would make a great theme for haiku, don’t you think? It could be about one of your parents or a mentor or a hero. These are important people to us — people whom we sometimes imagine to be larger than life, especially when we’re young. Of course, you can also describe for us details about that infamous fishing trip and “the one that got away.” Put your thoughts into one verse with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line, like this:

I stand tall. It’s true.
But I’m even taller in
little Ben’s big heart.