Dad, you are the man — and some of the reasons why
The other parental holiday is now upon us, the one that is not the main source of flower sales in America and is not a leading source of greeting card sales and is not gifted with its own hymns and songs.
Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there.
Last year on this occasion, my column was “A Needed Revival Of Fatherhood.” That one was a bit of a personal insight into my own life and the many men who stepped up for me when I needed them to. This year I want to briefly examine the common phrase, “You are the man,” in light of fatherhood.
Last year’s column was pretty serious; this one will be a bit more lighthearted, though hopefully still instructive.
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to go from “daddy” to “dad” to “bruh” faster than you can say, “Wha happad?”
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to hear a favorite knock-knock joke again and again. And again. And again.
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to hear a high-pitched shriek in the middle of the night, rush into a daughter’s room ready to slay a kidnapper and instead slay the innocent, nondescript bug that was just flitting around the nightlight casting ominous shadows.
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to have your son competing against you, desperately trying to be bigger and stronger and faster than you, all while you are cheering him on, hoping he succeeds at it. And when he does, you will also be the man who then bows up and says, “Boy, I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to earn a thousand eye rolls from the teen who has decided that you are hopelessly ignorant. You are also the man that teen is going to call as an adult asking for help and advice on absolutely everything.
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to learn the hard way that when a child says “Pizza rolls,” there is only one particular brand that qualifies, and it is always twice as high as every other generic brand.
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to want a lot of things and yet do without them because you want your kids to have everything they need and even a lot of what they want first.
Dad, you are the man — the man who is likely to ignore your own diminishing health and expanding waistline because you are so busy providing for the family and taking care of others. You are also the man who needs to stop being so dumb; your family needs you for the long term, not just a few years.
Dad, you are the man — the man who will have to hurt a few feelings along the way to protect your kids. Not every invitation to them is a good idea; not every prospective date is a wise choice; not every possible friendship is a good influence. And you will be the one to have to say no.
Dad, you are the man — the man who will, at some point, have a child scream, “I hate you!” And you are also the man who must then calmly reply, “But I love you, and that’s all that matters right now. We can be friends later; right now, I am your father, and the answer is still no.”
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to discover that there is no higher art form on Earth than the dad joke. By the way, when exactly does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent. (A parent, get it? Sigh …)
Dad, you are the man — the man who is going to learn that the easiest years are the carseat years when you always know exactly where they are and everything that is going on with them. Cherish those years; you will want them back before too long.
Dad, you are the man — the man who, if you stay the course, will one day see your children grow into godly, successful young adults who will then bring you grandchildren to spoil.
Above all, Dad, you are the man given the highest set of responsibilities by the God of heaven himself. You are tasked with being the spiritual leader of a home. You are tasked with being a wall of defense to your wife and children; if anyone is to get to them for harm, they must come through you first. You are tasked with being a provider for everyone in your home. You are tasked with training your sons to be the next generation of strong, godly men. You are tasked with setting the bar for manhood so high that your daughters will never settle for a ne’er-do-well.
So here’s to you, Dads. You are parent, provider, protector, pupil, pun master, pattern and patriarch; you, sir, are the man.