Daddy always gets the big piece of chicken.
At least that’s what Chris Rock says. In a recent comedy routine, Rock stated that moms always get better presents on Mother’s Day than any dad gets on Father’s Day.
“Everything’s always for the mommy. ‘Did you tell Mommy how good she looks?’ ‘Did you get Mommy something nice for Mother’s Day?’ Everything’s for the mommy. The only thing daddy ever gets is the big piece of chicken!”
Dads really are unappreciated sometimes. Rock said in the same routine that nobody ever says, “Hey Dad, thanks for knocking out the rent this month!”
Mike’s dad has this quiet confidence. When I (Mike) was a child he’d go to work as a custodian very early in the morning and would come home just before dinner. He’d be weary and tired but he always had time for me. We’d sit and talk, or head out to a Boy Scout meeting or one of my many baseball games. I can’t recall any event that my dad ever missed. He was always willing to drive me anywhere, just so he could spend some time with his son. I swear that he wouldn’t teach me to drive in high school because he simply wanted an excuse to have to pick me up and therefore spend time with me.
My mom (Mike again) hasn’t been well for a long period of her life. It certainly has been difficult for my dad, but yet his unending devotion to his family never wavered. He’s always there by his wife’s side. Even today, while my mom’s in the hospital, he leaves the house early in the day and heads home only when the nurses kick him out! For over fifty years, my mom and he have been together. It hasn’t always been easy, but he’s really been an inspiration to me, and I hope I can be as devoted a husband to Marion as he is to my mom.
My dad (Marion) was a really great father all through my growing up as well as a loving husband to my mother until she died when I was 19. I remember him as the one who always drove my sisters and me to where we had to be and got anything for us that we needed. I remember one time he bought a pair of pink cover-all’s that I wore to a high school dance. One way I used to talk to him that my sisters really didn’t was when I would show him my writing. I was the editor of the high school paper. He always complimented me on my writing, and I’ll never forget the time he told me to re-write something but I let my pride get in the way. He told me it wasn’t very good, and he was right.
I talked to him the other night and I knew he was worried, but he’s a man of few words and doesn’t show his emotions. I had called him and found out that he had a minor heart attack. The doctors say he should be OK. Nevertheless, I’ll be keeping him in my prayers this Father’s Day.
Anyone can be a father but it takes someone special to be a “dad.” Our dads, though different, have been a real treasure to both of us. If your dad is still with you, treasure him this Father’s Day.
And make sure you save him the big piece of chicken.
