Dads and Dogs

The other day I was driving when I noticed that the car in front of me had those obnoxious family of caricatures littering the back window of the mini-van. I don’t really know why I hate those things. Mind you that I do drive a mini-van and yes I may have a ‘Got Twins’ bumper sticker that sits alongside the Track and Football magnets. But there is something about those vague caricatures that screams “suburbia has officially chewed me up and spit me out”.

Anyway, back to the point. I was looking at what each person on the van window represented. The Mom with the shopping bags. The two little girls, one a cheerleader and the other a lacrosse player. The Dad holding a briefcase and the dog with the bandana. As I stared through the length of the red light I got to thinking about the Dad and the dog in that family spread. It struck me that the dog represented more of a personality than the Dad. The Dad was nothing more than the guy in the suit and tie that brings home the bacon.

What I started to wonder was have we remained a society where the dog has more personality than the Dad? We view ourselves as so much more “advanced” than the 1950’s in terms of our family structures but have we really come so far? Do we still tend to fall into those same patterns?

We don’t in our house. Brian has vowed not to spend his life so involved in his work that the dog (that we don’t have yet :D) takes more of a role in our day-to-day life. If we had to pick caracatures for the back of our van (I promise that we won’t) he would be more than a guy with a briefcase. Brian will show the girls how to dream big and be spontaneous and respect nature. He will teach them that moving the furniture around their room once a year is refreshing. He will tell them that it is important to understand government and politics… even when you disagree with it. He will teach them more than just a good work ethic.

It is so important that Dad’s learn to kiss boo-boo’s and how to make the perfect peanut butter and jelly. It shouldn’t always be the Moms that console their child after they lose the big game. Dad’s need to be a part of every day life.

So I guess the point is that maybe as wives and Moms one of the most important gifts we can give our children is their Dad’s.