Whenever Father’s Day comes around, I am reminded how lucky I have been over the years. Never once as a young girl growing up in the 70s and 80s did I ever doubt my abilities nor did I ever believe I couldn’t do something because I was a young girl. My dad would never call himself a feminist, but when it came to me, he always looked at me as someone capable of contributing to my own path even when I was a child and so many parents lay out the path for the kids. Not in my case. He and my mom were always very receptive to whatever I wanted to pursue. When it was enrolling in a children’s literature course, becoming more involved and eventually taking on the job of editor for my high school newspaper or pitching them about taking a humanities study tour of Europe during college, they heard me out.
A great dad looks out for you and stands beside you to steady you when you need it, offers his hand when you need support, and knows how to make you laugh like no one else. He sings with you on the tape recorder, picking songs from your battered and much-used copy of “Song Hits” magazine. He takes you out to practice your driving in the warehouse district of your little town, giving you a chance to try parallel parking, use turn signals and miss stop signs (occasionally) but in a safer environment.
Wishing all the great dads out there including those who fill that role for others a very Happy Father’s Day!
~ C. Kuhn
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