For The Dads...

It's Father's Day. We're inundated with the stereotypical Father's Day clichés - the tie cake, the barbecue, a set of hand tools, etc., as though being a dad were limited to going to the office, grilling the occasional steak, or fixing some random broken object. We're treated to images of buffoonery on television and in the movies, the dad being a bumbling fool who can't seem to do anything right; having to be rescued time and time again by the wife, kids, or random passers-by.

We're the last "safe" group to pick on, because we're dads.

Our job is to provide, to protect, to teach, and to guide. That's what we do. We make sure our kids have the tools to survive out in the real world - how to build a campfire, how to change a flat tire, how to throw a football. But more than that, we teach our kids by example - by stepping up and becoming Scout leaders; by coaching Little League, soccer, or basketball; by getting up each and every day and dragging ourselves to a job when we'd much rather stay home with our kids (lucky SOBs like Marko or David notwithstanding...).

We go out and do, because that's our job.

Oh, sure, sometimes the kids drive us crazy; sometimes we're tempted to tell the boss off and walk out the door; sometimes we'd like nothing more than to get in our cars and start driving until the everyday problems disappear in the rearview mirror. But those thoughts disappear when we walk through the door at the end of the day to hear "Hi Daddy!" - every second spent on the phone with a dissatisfied client, or under the hood of a malfunctioning automobile, or swinging a hammer in a new subdivision is worth it. Knowing that you're helping to raise your child to be happy, healthy, productive members of society is its own reward - getting hugs and kisses along the way is the icing on the cake.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there - and all the moms who fulfill the role of Dad, too.

That is all.