Salutes to Three Dads We Love

  by Andrew Wolgemuth

We’ve noted before that we want to raise the low expectations people typically have of dads. This means more than noting guys who drag expectations down (we’re looking at you, Homer); we need to celebrate the guys who are raising the bar, even in small ways.

With that in mind, we’d like to salute three special dads…

Salute the America’s Pastime Dad

It’s tough to beat a summer night at the ballpark, and it’s something of a milestone to bring one’s progeny along for the experience (Step #1, you’ll recall, in teaching your kids to love the game).

Of course, there’s bringing your kid to the game and there’s Bringing Your Kid to the Game. The latter requires that you’ve both got your gloves. Regardless of where you’re sitting or how cheap your cheap seats, you’re ready for the slicing foul or deep deep drive that just might carry your way. Each pitch is a new opportunity for the best ballgame souvenir of them all, and Major League Baseball’s attendance decline just helps your odds.

Here’s to you, Dad with His Kid and a Glove at a Baseball Game…we salute you.

Salute the Present Playground Dad

At playgrounds across the land you can count on seeing two things: kids running, chasing, laughing, and sliding, and said kids’ parents ringing the playground and staring blank-faced at the glowing screen in front of them.

I’ve been that parent, the guy thinking “Hey, I got ‘em to the playground, didn’t I?!” while forgetting that being present is more than simply being there. Forgetting that there are really important reasons not to be a distracted parent. Forgetting that I can add a Fun Factor x2 multiplier just by giving a little chase, being chased a little, helping the swinger get a little higher, or simply laughing along with the playground highjinx.

Here’s to you, Dad at the Playground Keeping His Phone in His Pocket…we salute you.

Salute the Minivan Dad

On the Mount Rushmore of Fathering Misspeaks, Vehicle Division, no statement casts a longer shadow than, “We’ll never own a minivan.” The fannypack of family mobility, the humble minivan is neither cutting edge nor particularly eye-catching nor a model soon to be electrified by the likes of Tesla.

Yet…they’re practical. They hold a large number of people without requiring those individuals to climb seats to enter and exit the back row. Their sliding back doors are appreciated by neighboring cars in the parking lot. Their seats stow and go. Their racks easily hoist car-top carriers and skis and bikes. Their crevices and hidden compartments serve as rudimentary composting bays. And the dad who embraces this vehicle sometimes finds that practicality comes with its own ode-worthy beauty.

Here’s to you, Dad Driving a Minivan…we salute you.

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We also salute single dads.

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Photo by Jon Eckert on Unsplash