A good card for Father’s Day tough to find

Dads are worth celebrating all year round

A week before Father’s Day, my daughter and I went in search of cards to celebrate my husband and her grandfathers. It was more of a challenge than we expected. Some of the cards were way over the top sappy, while others were meanly sarcastic. We had a new appreciation of Goldilocks during her bear porridge sampling, as it was difficult to find an option that was just right.

Neither of us were opposed to cards that were funny. I am all about otter puns (“Dad, thanks for being otterly awesome,” for example), but some of the cards we saw seemed mean or degrading.

Some tried to make jokes based on the negative theme of dads babysitting instead of parenting, while others focused on the parents’ sex life, which eew. Those are cards going for the shock value joke.

There were also many, many fart jokes to be had. Apparently the word play with “Happy Farter’s Day” was just too much for card writers to resist.

We found several from a wife’s perspective, most of which were sentimental, although there were plenty of crass options there, too.

My daughter and I agreed that what we really wanted to convey to the awesome men in our lives is that we love them, we appreciate them, and we are thankful for them — on Father’s Day and every day.

My husband is my partner in this whole crazy parenting adventure. Sometimes he takes the lead, and other times I do, but overall, it’s a joint venture and a united front. He’s a great dad, and a card simply doesn’t do him justice.

In the end, we managed to find something that would work, or at least that we could customize.

Ultimately, fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, fathers-in-law, bonus dads, fill-in fathers, father figures — all are worth celebrating all year round. One day a year doesn’t do them justice.

Today, give those men in your lives a hug and a thank you!

Happy Father’s Day!