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Father’s Day, A Difficult Holiday
I’ve been receiving the “it’s never too soon to shop for Dad” emails ever since Mother’s Day ended this year. As if I need a reminder. And this weekend, as dads across the country enjoy an assortment of ties, socks, key rings and fishing tackle, we should spare a thought for those dads and their children for whom Father’s Day will not be so delightful.
The anticipation of Father’s Day and the day itself has never been a warm and fuzzy time for me. I could be found wandering in and out through gift shops and card stores for days before I would settle on a card that said very little without being hurtful. I would never be able to give my father a card that said “To the very best father that ever lived” or “I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without you” or “Your love and inspiration are the gifts I’ve treasured most.” The cards I would find with dad’s reclining in lazy boy chairs with popcorn and beer wouldn’t work for my dad either. My father always sat in his chair with a newspaper on his lap, a bowl of fruit and a glass of milk, and the only time he got up was to make a trip to the bathroom or to punish me.
Maybe there should be cards available that come blank with a bunch of stickers in a little cellophane bag — A T.V. set, a newspaper, an armchair, food, a toilet. Because these cards with the scenic views — golf courses, fishing boats and hand tools never…
