Every year before Father’s Day I tell my kids not to get me anything. I imagine many father’s do the same thing. Who needs another tie, or mug, or “World’s Greatest Dad” tshirt?
Like many holidays (Mother’s Day, Valentines Day, etc), Father’s day seems like a day made up by corporate America to squeeze some more money from our wallets.
Shouldn’t we be thankful for our dad’s every day? Shouldn’t we tell our dad’s we appreciate them more than once a year? And most importantly, shouldn’t we actually tell them, rather than just throwing a card written by someone else and a tie at them?
I tell my kids not to get me anything for Father’s Day not because I am trying to protest a rather silly holiday, but because all I really want from them is time.
As my kids are getting older, there seems to be less and less time to spend together, and that’s perfectly normal (in my opinion). I expect my kids to go into the world and do things. Sports, friends, music, whatever.
Live. Love. Do.
But that leaves less and less time to spend together. Not long ago they were 100% dependent on me, now they are more dependent on my wallet and my car.
Time is what I want. A day, or even a few hours to spend together doing something. Swimming, cooking out, walking the dog, playing a game. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter to me.
The accumulation of “stuff” is great, and it’s the American way, but all I really want is the accumulation of experiences, time spent with the people I love, and the memories from them that I can enjoy for the rest of my life.
It’s easier to give a card and a tie. It’s easier to send a text or put something on Facebook.
But time is what matters, and I hope that I can pass that lesson along to my kids, for as much as I dislike Father’s Day as a holiday, I also see it as a chance to help my kids see an important truth and learn an important life lesson.
Accumulate experiences. Tell people who matter that they matter. Live, love, laugh. Our time here is short and it can end in an instant, and then it will be too late.
