12 Reasons Why We Love Our Dads
By Mary Zakheim
Father’s Day, a holiday that began in my hometown of Spokane, Washington (as my mother made me promise to mention), is a day in June where we take the time to shower our dads and father figures with unwanted gifts, Instagram shout outs, a pile of unwanted pancakes and a day full of much needed relaxation. Though we could write an entire book about why we love our Pops, we decided to ask around and have our readers give us their reasons why they love their dads. So buckle up and get ready to read some hilarious, sweet and swashbuckling tales of the original hipsters: our dads!
Reason # 1: They aren’t afraid to speak the truth
“One night the four of us asked my parents which of us was a surprise. My dad said, ‘Well, I know one thing for sure: your mom planned you all and didn’t consult me.’” – Cait Rossellini
“When you’re in college you’re the cute little puppy that everyone wants to take care of. When you graduate you’re the old dog at the pound that nobody cares about.” – Sara Wendland
Reason # 2: They always have the best life advice
“My dad always says ‘make it a good day’ instead of have a good day. That has always stuck with me because it shows that we do have the ability to influence how our day goes and how we want to perceive what happens to us.” Rose Silkman
“Whenever I was scared to try something new or reach for something that seemed unattainable, Papa Crha liked to always remind me that… ‘Fear is just imagination misplaced.’” – Ally Crha
“My dad always said, ‘Don’t force it’ and that has always stuck with me. He always said that when we were little, trying to figure out how to put things together or make something. But I really think it applies to all aspects of life.” – Sophie Flies
“’Assess reality for what it is. You can’t guide your ship if you think you’re on a different sea.’ Probably the best advice I’ve ever gotten. He also loves wood carvings of bears and knows the entire cast of 13 Going on 30.” – Cate Rose
“Mark is absurd, so I’ll have to think about this one, but my Papa always said, ‘Put up, not down’.” – Kelsey McGinnis
Reason # 3: They come up with enough taglines to run a small advertising company
“We were dropping my sister off at WSU 8 years ago and my dad said, ‘Don’t go spending your money on any wooden nickels.’ We still reference it to this day (we also have no idea what it means).” – Rachel Robinson
“When the kids did gymnastics back in the day, he called informal events such as practice ‘Jim-nastics’ then if it were a competition day he’d give it the ‘full name’ and call it ‘James-nastics’.” –Tessa Helber
“My dad legitimately thought memes were pronounced ‘memay’.” – Haley Nordin
Reason # 4: Their tactics to prevent crying rarely work
“My dad sang the Barney ‘I love you, you love me’ song throughout our entire father daughter dance to try and keep himself from crying. It didn’t work.” – Katie Hoag
Reason # 5: They love to crack a joke
“My dad’s advice when he dropped me off freshmen year of college: ‘Kiss around, Carli. Now listen, I said KISS!’” – Carli Piglet
“When I used to Skype my parents on Sundays in college, my Dad would always look at me and say, ‘Maddie, isn’t it time to change the oil?’. He was referring to my hair, not my car.” – Maddie Hagen
Reason # 6: They confront reality with humor
“I was complaining about my big feet once and my dad said to me, ‘Well, at least you’ve got a great understanding of reality!'” -Robin Hayford
“My dad always told me that if he’s going to get a call that I’ve been arrested, it better be for a really good crime. Go big or go home.” –Jackie Bonk
“’DAMN. That fly is so big you could put a saddle on it.’ Daniel James Schneller.” – Annie Schneller
“My dad is always laughing even when he’s frustrated. Life is happening and it’s stressful but you have to laugh! I’m sure it helps my dad just live better” -Laura Goslee
“No matter what setting, when my parents meet people my Dad introduces my Mom as his roommate. He’s always like ‘Hey I’m Dave and this is my roommate Lisa’.” – Tessa Helber
Reason # 7: They teach us the best life lessons
“When I was 17, we went to a concert with my dad and of course he wanted a beer. The area where our seats were had a bar but I was nervous to go in there…. I don’t like to break rules. Then my dad said, “If you act like you belong, no one questions you,” and just walked in, leaving me at the invisible line between the bar and our seating area. So of course I walk in and order two beers for myself and left without anyone batting an eye and my dad was just stoked that he got to drink his beer in the bar.” –Kristen Vierhaus
Reason # 8: They are insanely understanding about our crazy antics
“When I was younger, I fancied myself a famous chef. I decided one night to make a new dish for my dad and mum: broccoli with paprika, salt and a large dose of red food coloring – you know, to make the dish pop. I also decided to mix the dish on the carpet of the living room floor. Long story short (and one carpet salesman later), I went to my dad to apologize because I thought he was irreparably mad at me. My red-faced shame must have been obvious because he looked at me, looked at my bowl of red broccoli and asked me to cook it for him later. Then my mum distracted me and I think my dad threw the bowl of broccoli in the rubbish. But my parents never made me feel bad about it all (and never shot down my dreams of famous chef-hood, I had to figure that bit out on my own).” -Amy Draper
Reason # 9: They go to great lengths to entertain us
“Every December 24th, the freezer at the grocery store where our father worked would always, without fail, break down and our dad would have to go there to try and fix it. While he was gone, every year, Santa Claus would always show up to surprise all of us kids. It took us longer than we’d like to admit to figure it all out – we’d always be incredulous that our dad missed Santa every year.” -Long Family
Reason # 10: They keep us safe (er — we’re alive, anyways)
“I remember driving home from the lake and falling asleep in the back of the car, tired from a weekend of hiking and swimming, and I felt safe with my dad at the wheel. Though now, looking back, I’m pretty sure he was drinking and driving. Hey! It was the sixties.” -Angela Zakheim
Reason # 11: They know that “Dad” is a title that is earned
“I’ll never forget the day that changed my life forever. My mom was a single mom and had been dating this guy Zia for a couple years. Being the ‘man of the house,’ I was very protective of my mother, so I tested Zia’s commitment by kicking, spitting and creating mischief for him to deal with. I had conducted these tests before on men that my mother dated and all had failed and ran away just as I expected they would. Zia, on the other hand, had taken all the punches, helped to calm me down and even participated in my mischief.
“Before long, I began to trust Zia and even considered him to be my friend. A couple years into their relationship, the three of us had become closer, and all lived together in a small house in Spokane. My mom had left to run errands and Zia looked over to me and asked me to come to the basement with him. Initially, I didn’t want to go because the basement was cold, dusty and full of spiders, but I trusted him so I followed him. I remember the air being heavy in the basement as I watched Zia nervously dig in the shelves. He grabbed a small box then looked over to me. He began talking about me and my mother and how much we mean to him. He explained that he had fallen in love, not only with my mother, but also with me. Then he finally said it: ‘Tyler, I want to ask your permission to marry your mom. I love her and want to be with her forever. And I love you and want to adopt you to legally be my son.’
“He opened the small box in his hand and showed me the ring he planned to propose to my mom with. It glowed so bright that I was never scared of the basement again! I’m not sure that there are words that can accurately articulate my happiness in that moment. I knew that Zia was an angel for me. He was my best friend. He was the savior and glue to a mother and son lost on their own. After this moment Zia was my father and I finally had what I had always dreamed of: my very own family.” -Tyler Uddin
Reason # 12: They try to keep us out of trouble
“Direct quote: ‘don’t do drugs’.” -All Dads everywhere.
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