June 14th, 2012 by CrispRoot

It’s quiz time:  It’s after Mother’s Day, after Memorial Day, after Flag Day, and before the Fourth of July.  Your one and only hint is, there could be no Mother’s Day without the guy we’re honoring this weekend.  So, what day is this Sunday?

Please don’t say June 17^th.  Technically, you’d be correct – but I’m sorry, the judges would not accept your answer as it’s not what we’re looking for.

This Sunday is, say it along with me… Father’s Day. Yup, the day we all honor dear old Dad by giving him bad neckties and cheap cologne.

A request, re: the giving of the bad neckties &/or cheap cologne… this year, please don’t.  Ditto for the good ‘ol soap on a rope.  Every dad has been there, done that, and probably got a t-shirt or two as well.

What Dad wants is time with his family – and a phone call will do if you live too far away to visit.  You see, Dad, despite all his protestations, is a family guy…  so yes, Virginia, he wants to be surrounded by his family on Father’s Day.

Part two of that scenario is he’d like to be surrounded by his family while doing whatever it is he wants to do. This is not the time to break out the honey-do list and have the whole family clean the garage.

In my case, I play baseball on Sunday afternoons – so having the family go to my game and loudly root Dad on while he pretends he’s 12 years old again would be high on my list for Father’s Day.  Other guys may prefer more family participation to the festivities, so maybe a family game of hoops in the driveway would be the thing he’d like most.

Regardless of the activity, more than likely Dad would eventually like the day to shift to the backyard for a BBQ. And while he may grumble about having to cook on “his” day, don’t believe it for a minute.  Most Dad’s love to whip up a batch of their top-secret BBQ sauce and fire up the grill.  The rest of the family can provide the chips (CrispRoot, anyone?), the cole slaw, the baked beans; and can do the cleanup so Dad can kick back and relax – but step away from the grill; that’s Dad’s territory.

So there you have it, a quick primer on how to handle Father’s Day.  No ties.  No cologne.  No soap-on-a-rope.  Just your time, and a Father’s Day card.  (Now, if you feel the urge to stick a gift certificate to Home Depot in it, feel free – Dad won’t complain!)

*** A personal request to our Crisp Root readers: If your Dad is older, or possibly even in a retirement home – please don’t forget him just because the celebration has to be a bit subdued, or less fun for you.  It’s not about you, it’s about him.  He’s still Dad, and he still cares about you – so please, return the favor.  Thanks!!!

Related posts:

1. Mom may or may not remind you, but her day is this Sunday