Father's Day

For the last several days I have been "batching" it with two dogs while my wife has spent time with her mom. One of the dogs, "Maggie," is a ten-week-old golden retriever and still has many things to learn. I'm afraid that I have not had much patience with her; making me wonder whether I would have been much good as a dad.

Dads do not have the easiest role in society today--and certainly one not nearly as respected as in my younger years. The dad is the most common butt of jokes in family sit-coms (Cliff Huxtable nonwithstanding), marketers surely put less effort into Father's Day vs. Mother's Day and elements within the feminist movement are quick to point out the failures of some dads and in effect spread the brush to others (not that this excuses parental neglignece or abuse--whether from dad or mom).

Yes, there may be some among my readers who need to get off their rump and start trying to reconcile themselves to sons, daughters or both. To the larger portion of my father readership and the tens of millions of men throughout the country who at least try (if not always succeed) to take Dadship seriously, Happy Father's Day and may God bless--especially Don Meyer, my own dad.