Father's Day

As I hope most of you remembered, it was yesterday. I had a good one this year. After my first few Father’s Days, I began to think that passing down crappy Father’s Day traditions was something that women are really good at. What I’ve now realized, and what new fathers need to know, is that Father’s Day is one of those days that just takes your family a while to get right.

The thing about Father’s Day that still seems just wrong to me is almost too embarrassing to mention because it feels so selfish. What seems wrong is that your wife will do stuff for her dad and you have to do stuff for your dad. It’s like sharing a birthday with a disabled uncle or something and having to go to Chuck E. Cheese for your party at an inappropriate age because that’s what they want to do. You don’t begrudge them: they deserve their happiness. But you kind of feel ripped off. And, I mean, c’mon, it’s not like your dad or you father are still doing any day-to-day parenting, dammit. (Even typing this just seems like inappropriate whining, but at least I was able to get it off my chest somewhere, and my dad and father-in-law are very good about this).

One reason that Father’s Day can be a flop for new dads is that I suspect what happens is that most wives remember doing things for their fathers – picking them flowers; making them pancakes; or buying them ties – and, if their dad was a good actor, they remember that their fathers seemed to like it. So the first few Father’s Days, they just go on autopilot and have the kids do the same stuff that they did, without stepping back to think that maybe their own dad was faking his enjoyment of nasty M&M pancakes they used to make. Another potential pitfall is the actual real budget-busting gift that costs twice as much as you would’ve spent on something (and you’re just paying for it anyway).

But this year, everything was golden. I got to sleep in past 10 a.m.! The kids got me a big jar full of Bottle Caps, my favorite old school candy, and a nice video thank you. And we went to see the Indians and C.C. Sabathia beat the Padres and Greg Maddux. And then I went and bought myself a new grill (the old one was 9 years old and on its last legs, so we were going to get one anyway). That’s quite a day.