Dads

I once heard a guy say that sermons on Father's Day are hardly fair. On Mother's Day the ladies get a wonderful sermon on how good it is to be a Proverbs 31 women and we should all honor them. On Father's Day, men get a sermon on how they should do better. Thinking about it, he was right. And it's not really fair. After all, I could use a bashing once in a while on how far short I fall on being a Proverbs 31 woman. And I've learned that men could use a whole lot more encouragement than they ever receive.

But it's true that fathers and mothers have very different roles in the life of a child. Who wants their father when they're sick? In our house, we don't want my dad to cook...nor do we want him to clean. (Even though he is vastly more thorough in cleaning than my mom - which is why we don't want him overseeing that. Have you ever mopped a floor with a former Naval officer watching you? Well, you're not missing anything...) On the other hand, who wants their mom to push them on the swing? And mom's don't play catch.

Last week I was reading Focus on the Family's two children's magazines Clubhouse and Clubhouse, Jr. and I was smiling at all the things these children had to say about how great their dads are. It was so different than what the kids were saying the month before about how great their moms are. Last month it was, "My mom cooks dinner for us" or "My mom takes us to the store". This month it was "My dad throws us into the pool" and "My dad tickles us until we can't breathe". I realized how very different children (probably unknowingly) view their two parents. And yet how much children need BOTH of those parents.

Because I can say the same things about my dad. I loved being pushed high on the swings. I loved playing catch with him. (Even though he always told me I throw like a girl...I used to wonder how, then, I could change that. I mean since I am a girl...) Dad played tag, and tickled until I couldn't breathe, and sang funny songs (about boys named Sue, and John Henry being a baby, and rattlesnakes having hips), and threw us way high into the pool, and wrestled, and played Checkers, and took us hiking. And while I can say much on my dad's leadership in the family, and instruction in God's Word, and strong protection; honestly, it's the riding bikes and fishing expeditions I remember and smile. Because a dad is so much more than the leader of the home. Dad is fun.