Although I support Father’s Day and think it’s a nice gesture, I’d like to remind people of the other men who contribute to our children’s welfare but still so often go overlooked. Unfortunately, these days men are increasingly shut out of this role due to paranoia and feminization of education and childcare, but they still exist.
They are the teachers, coaches, doctors, emergency responders and others who fulfill the masculine role needed to care for our little ones and keep them safe. They are ordinary men who, because of their fundamentally good and caring nature, make a positive difference in the lives of children.
As a father, I am deeply grateful to them. The young man who ran my daughter’s preschool class, for example — a decent, good teacher whose calm demeanor combined with no-nonsense self-possession gives him the fortitude to command both respect and affection from the children he is responsible for. My children’s pediatrician at Swedish Medical Center, who set my mind at ease when my son was an infant with allergies and colic (both resolved, thankfully). A teacher friend of mine, a New York transplant who worked his way through school and now teaches math in local public schools. My stepfather, who is a good man, great teacher and excellent grandfather. There are far more than I can name or count…
It’s good to be appreciative of fathers, but there are good men everywhere – fathers or not – and they deserve recognition from all of us. So, as a father, I’m happy for the recognition of my efforts, but Father’s Day isn’t close to enough to show appreciation for the men in our society.
As we think about our fathers, or our fatherhood, I think we ought to remember that there’s a little of the father in every man. Far from being a threat, the majority of men around us are guardians, benefactors and providers for the rest of us, including and especially our children. What a poor, hostile world it would be without the helping hand of men to guide and protect our little ones!
In the meanwhile, we should celebrate Father’s Day by remembering all the good men in our lives — they deserve far more credit than they get these days.
