So Mack's cheering his kid on at the intramural soccer game: "Go, kid, yeah!"

When he came off the field he was all crabby (he came off the field "with his eyebrows down" as we say in our family).

"What's the matter, kid?"

"You really embarrassed me, Dad. Yelling every time I touched the ball."

"Oh...I was just trying to encourage you."

I have a hard time dealing with the fact I "embarrass" my kids. Tattoos, Jay-Z sunglasses, rocking the freshest pimped-out gear at all times-- what more do they want?

Of course, that may be exactly the problem. A dad who tries to be cool is obviously the most embarrassing thing in the world.

But a) I don't just think I'm cool, I actually am cool-- I think; b) I refuse to become a fanny-pack type Dad for their benefit. Hey, Dad has a personality, kids, go figure.

Ironically, I think it's my oldest, age 12, the kid who first started showing signs of being embarrassed by his father, who is also the first to get over it. Now he's a teen, he can appreciate some of the things his father, the eternal adolescent, is about: loud music, artistic yearnings, and so forth.

But basically, it's a mug's game to try to convince your kids you're cool.

I take great solace from Kid Rock. In an interview Kid Rock said when he goes to the movie with his (then) 10-year-old, the kid sits in a different part of the theatre.

And Kid said he wants to say to his kid "I'm considered one of the coolest people in America, but I'm still not cool enough for you?!"

Poor guy. I feel his pain. And it's not just an empty boast, the Kid is cool: along with Diddy, probably the coolest.

But give it up, Kid. No one can ever be cool enough for a 10-year-old.

Not even the coolest guy in America.