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From Pipi’s Pasture: Observations on fatherhood

Diane Prather/For Craig Press

Sunday is Father’s Day. My husband, Lyle, is a father, grandfather and great-grandfather. In addition, our sons, Jody and Jami, are fathers to grown children. The family’s newest father is grandson Kenny, who has a 3-month-old son, Brian. That makes Jamie a grandfather, too. So, I have had plenty of time to observe fathers in action. Following are some of the things I’ve discovered about fathers.

A father …

• agrees to let the kids have a dog or cat in the house, even though he is allergic to them.

• helps rescue a baby kitten that was abandoned by its mother.

• wipes away his daughter’s tears after she forgot the steps to a dance during a recital.

• plays “Candyland” with his children.

• while completing routine mechanical work on the car, teaches his kids how to do it, too.

• teaches his teenagers how to drive a car.

• takes his children fishing, carries all of the equipment, baits hooks, untangles lines from bushes and rocks, and takes the fish off the hooks while never catching a fish himself.

• proudly watches as his kids play all kinds of sports, from T-ball to gymnastics.

• attends a father-daughter night activity with his daughter.

• while raking autumn leaves in the yard, jumps in the leaf piles with his kids.

• stops to help a caterpillar get across a county road because his kids are worried it will get run over.

• takes time to point out a weasel partially hidden in the snow or a mama duck and her babies or to pick the first bluebell of the season.

• attends a back-to-school event at school to see his children’s seats, where they keep their supplies, and to meet their teacher and the class gerbil.

• sits on the creek bank with his child, pushing autumn leaves downstream with sticks.

• “rough houses” with his children just before bedtime, resulting in wide-awake children and a mother with a frown on her face.

• tries to remain calm while reviewing a “down slip” sent home from school.

• consoles his children after they sell their animals during the 4-H Junior Livestock Sale.

• supports his children, no matter if they’re 5 or 45.

• advises them to “check the simple things first” when they’re trying to solve a mechanical problem.

• shares his shop and tools with adult children and grandchildren.

• sets up a pool table in the shop, so family members can enjoy it together.

• knows how to listen.

And there’s so much more! Enjoy Father’s Day with your father!


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