Daddy's Day...

Father's Day, unofficially born in 1908 in West Virginia, it apparently wasn't widely received nor embraced as emphatically as its counterpart, Mother's Day. Maybe back then, a Daddy's day consisted only of working and drinking. President Coolidge supported making the holiday official in 1924 but it took over 40 more years and a mandate by President Lyndon Johnson to confirm that Father's Day would be a national holiday. Apparently, not a lot of champions in the Daddy's corner back in the day. Oh, the Daddies really had to work for it.

Oh, times have changed.

I watched a few days ago as our little man handed Daddy all of his "friends" at bedtime and made Daddy hug and kiss each one goodnight. And then he wanted Daddy to have each friend also say goodnight to him. So Daddy held up each animal and said, "Goodnight little man." If our son didn't like the voice he used, he would say "No Daddy, thats not how Mickey Mouse sounds."
And when we started kissing boo boos, JohnnyMac asked me how long I thought this lasted. I assured him it wasnt going to be deep into adolescence but if your son thinks you have some magical elixir springing from your kisses, then by all means, kiss kiss kiss. There may be a point in our son's life when he believes us incapable of fixing any of his problems, boo boo or otherwise. So I will gladly embrace this period of time where all the healing he needs is as simple as a kiss.

And the other night, our little man woke up around midnight. This lone voice in the quiet house, "Daddy, I need you." You become aware of yourself in a keenly different light when you are so needed by someone else.

And the morning in the shower, when our son pointed to Daddy's midsection and said "There's your penis Daddy!" and then grabbed it and gave it a very, very big yank. If you recall the Hot Pepper story, poor JohnnyMac is going to need first aid soon.

And this Daddy has earned his Daddy's Day from that instance alone. And what will JohnnyMac be doing to celebrate? Golfing. Of course. And then watching golf. All day.

If this holiday is a part of your current status men, enjoy. I think it takes a tremendous amount to be a good parent, a good leader, and a good role model. Have a wonderful Father's Day.

And as a tiny tribute to the Daddy in our house, here are some of my favorite photos celebrating fatherhood in this family.