It’s a strange experience for first-time dads to suddenly become the subject of Father’s Day. Your whole life you’ve had to remember this holiday (hopefully) weeks in advance to pick out a great gift or put a card in the mail. And when dads reach about 50, their tastes are essentially frozen and it’s nearly impossible to pick out something thoughtful, so I’ve historically just stuck with the card or phone call and felt a bit bad about not doing more. I’ll admit that as a son, I’ve often felt a fair amount of Father’s Day guilt.
But then your life partner gives birth. You’ve reproduced. There’s a little version of you messing her or himself in the next room, and everything changes.
Suddenly. Today is your day.
It’s like you got a 2nd birthday all of the sudden where anything goes. People come from miles around to ask one question: “What’s Dad wanna do? What’s Dad wanna do?” And here’s the kicker: They’re talking about YOU! The world is your oyster. You could go anywhere, see anything, be whoever or whatever you want to be. And you don’t have to get no permission from no one because you’re a Dad on Father’s Day. So beat it, all you non-Dads! This is Dad territory!
And it gets better. You almost always get the gift at the top of your list. Because the one thing you truly want – the one thing at the top of your heart’s proverbial Amazon wishlist – is for your little Mini Me to look up at you and simply say the words “Happy Fawders Bay, Dada!” When you hear these words – those poetically eloquent words, your Father’s Day dreams are fulfilled, your heart fully explodes, and you sink into the couch to start the long road to recovery with only afternoon football to aid you.
This experience made me realize. Father’s Day gifts aren’t about the gift. They’re a physical object or gesture that reminds the dad in your life of the first time he heard “Happy Fawders Bay, Dada!”. If you can make him feel that feeling again, you’ve given him the best gift in the world.
Happy Fawders Bay to all you Dadas out there.
