Over the years through the good times and the bad times I feel that I have been very blessed to have been able to celebrate in one way or another something like 40 Father’s Days with our ever-growing clan of four now mostly grown up and slightly mellowing children. Whether it be in the back yard, at the lake, at a ball tournament or being pampered at the home of one of the siblings, all of us as dads must never forget those warm and wonderful occasions of sharing, caring and carousing with our children and the other very precious part of the ‘all in the family’ adventures, none other than our beloved wives and the mothers of our rambunctious crew.
For those of us who have become seniors and grandparents, we may not be able to dominate the family pick-up game of ball or soccer anymore, or outrun anyone, but that just gives us more time to sit back in the old lawn chair and admire what we have somehow managed to accomplish over those wild, wonderful, and often weary years of raising them from toddlers to teens. Now it is time to quit lecturing and worrying about our kids so much, and to start spoiling our grandchildren as much as possible, as long as it is in between naps and before 8 p.m. Whether you choose to celebrate with your ‘favourite guy’ this coming Sunday around the BBQ, on the golf course, fishing, watching the game, on a road trip or just sitting around the campfire reminiscing, please relax and have fun, but don’t forget to share all the greatest and craziest memories and wild and wonderful antics of your childhood, even though they may have never been uttered in mixed company before. If you and yours are unable to get together this Father’s Day, please make sure to pick up the phone, or iPad or whatever you might have handy to zoom around the world in seconds, and then go ahead and share a chat with those precious loved ones who may have made us just a little stressed or greyer along the way, but in the end have made our lives all worth-while and worth keeping.
Over the years Father’s Day has always been special for yours truly because I have been able to share them with my dad, who is now 96 years old, still quite spry, and sharing his ‘golden years’ with our stepmom Jean in Victoria, B.C. Like so many of you, as we grow older we can now really appreciate how our parents worked so hard to lead us down the right path with what humble resources they may have had. Of course, there were and will always be a few setbacks, sadness, challenges, and ‘tough love’ along the way, but those are the glorious growing years, which we somehow managed to survive, and must always encourage our siblings to do the same.
Now let’s have a little fun with good old dad
*Son: ‘Here’s my report card dad, along with one of your old ones that I found in the attic.’ ‘Well, son, you’re right. This old report card of mine isn’t any better than yours, so I guess the only fair thing to do is to give you the same punishment that my dad gave to me.’
*Father, pacing the floor with a wailing baby in his arms as his wife lies snug in bed. “No one ever asks ME how I manage to combine marriage and a career.’
*Once we have achieved grandpa status we are now referred to by the younger generation as ‘old and wrinkled super dads’.
*When the young man asked his father to help him find the least common denominator in his math problem, he quickly replied, ‘Don’t tell me that still hasn’t been found yet, they were looking for it when I was a kid, and now I have trouble just adding up my golf card.’
*School secretary: ‘You say Michael has a cold and can’t come to school today, and whom am I speaking to?’ ‘This is his father.’
*Always remember that many of us may have inherited our dad’s genes, but unfortunately some of them won’t fit us the same as they do him.
*Son: ‘For $20, I’ll be good all week.’ Father: ‘When I was your age I was good for nothing.’
* Always remember that Adam was created first....to give him a little time to say something, and for just a little while to have the first and the last say in every conversation.
There will still be lots of time to dash out and get a card or a neat gift for the dad in your house, who would likely prefer golf balls to flowers or chocolates? Have a great Father’s Day (Sunday-June 21), then just keep on celebrating as a family all year round, and always remember that a perfect relationship is just two imperfect people who refuse to give up on each other. Have a great week, all of you.