Friday, June 15, 2012

For Fathers in 2012


                                                            Three of my favorite dads

In my father’s generation, the qualifications for being a good father basically consisted of bringing home a paycheck, making sure the family had a working car, and taking out the trash.  Dads today who meet only those requirements would be lucky to receive a C- rating.   For most modern Dads, part of the normal week includes cooking meals, doing the grocery shopping, getting the laundry done, and sharing equal responsibility for child care.  Going out with the boys after work means coming home to their sons, not a trip to the local pub. 

I was reading a Father’s Day card in a drugstore today that said  -
Question: Why is Father’s day in June?
Answer: Because a month after Mother’s day, some guy said, "Hey, wait a minute…”

For men of  my generation, this characterization of  the status of Father’s Day might have been spot on.  Films like “Three Men and a Baby” were probably an accurate portrayal of the kind of parenting most of us were capable of - but for twenty-first century Dad’s the bar has really been raised dramatically.  They have a lot to live up to.  I’m glad to say that the three of them that I know best clear that bar easily – they would have no problem figuring out how to change a baby. 

3 comments:

Judi Frensley said...

I agree with you Mike. You should be very proud of what your two sons and son in law do besides just bring home the paycheck. Hope you have a wonderful Father's day.
Love you
Judi

Melissa said...

Three of my favorites two. It's missing your picture. We always talk about how hard it is to handle the many roles of the motherhood today. Fatherhood has become increasingly more complicated too. I know our families are so much richer for all of the sacrifices of the committed fathers in our lives.

Melissa said...

Three of my favorites two. It's missing your picture. We always talk about how hard it is to handle the many roles of the motherhood today. Fatherhood has become increasingly more complicated too. I know our families are so much richer for all of the sacrifices of the committed fathers in our lives.