Photo credit: BLOOM image/Getty Images
Brian Leaf is the author of Misadventures of a Parenting Yogi: Cloth Diapers, Cosleeping, and My (Sometimes Successful) Quest for Conscious Parenting. He shared this original essay with us in honor of Father's Day, and then took time to share a guy's perspective on the way moms celebrate Father's Day.
Read our Q&A with Brian Leaf >>
Photo credit: Brian Leaf
Dads do it differently
We may have to buy bottles of water at the carnival and borrow a friend's sunscreen, but we get the job done. We may simply choose to sit in the shade at the Funky Monkeys concert so we don't have to deal with the sunscreen at all. Personally, I don't know how my wife has the patience to put it on the kids in the first place.
Dads like to forgo the diaper bag. We might, in a fit of genius and engineering, roll a diaper, snack, and change of clothes into such a tight wad that it fits in our back pocket. Or we may assume there will be a mom at the concert who can lend us a diaper in a pinch.
Dads get the job done in our own way. My wife sorts clothes by the season and puts pants away when they become too small. For this I am very grateful. If it were up to me, I fear that my kids would be wearing wool in the summer and size 3T at age 5. Then again, I'd probably just grab the scissors from the kitchen jar that holds 35 unsharpened pencils and trim the pants so Noah could wear them as shorts.
Dads do it differently. Sometimes we get sand all over the kitchen floor after taking the kids to the town lake. And maybe we're not so great about remembering personalized snacks. But ultimately we get the kids fed, even if from a Good Humor truck, and we take the kids on unforgettable adventures. And, most importantly, we love them fiercely. So this Father's Day let's honor dads. We may not do it like Mom, but we keep it interesting and we get the job done.
Brian Leaf on celebrating Father's Day at SheKnows
Photo credit: Amana Productions Inc.
"Mother's Day is represented by lilies and white doilies while Father's Day showcases a dude on the can. What's up with that? Then again, on any given Saturday my dad did spend like two to three hours on the toilet, so maybe it's on point."
Read Father’s Day gifts: 6 Bathroom books for Dad >>
"This one is cute, what can I say. Every dad loves a homemade card from the kids. Serve it up with some pancakes and a sleep-in and it's a sure winner."
Read DIY Father's Day card ideas >>
"I'll be honest, this one scares me. My wife would not buy a leather belt for the craft, and I know just which one of my "gently worn" 20-year-old belts she'd be all too happy to slice up."
Read DIY leather belt picture frame for Father's Day >>
Photo credit: Yuri_Arcurs/iStock/360/Getty Images
"This one is brilliant, really. Any father will be thrilled with these gifts: 'Give him a massage with these sexy tips... Stay in a hotel... A few intimate surprises...' But who the heck threw 'Book a family photo shoot and engrave a decanter' into this particular list?"
Read What to buy your husband for Father's Day >>
Photo credit: Stepan Popov / iStock 360 / Getty Images
"Fine, fine, very nice cards, but can we go back to 'Give him a massage with these sexy tips' in the previous article?"
Read Father's Day cards for nerdy dads >>
More on Father's Day
The iconic dad jeans
Father's Day idea: Cook him dinner
Why dads are basically superheroes