"What Do You Love About Your Dad?" — Father's Day Realities
Illustration★★★Leo Buscaglia reminds us that for many children, this Father’s Day may be a painful reminder that not every family situation reflects the ideal:
In a short, informal activity to prepare second graders for the celebration of Father’s Day, a group of children were asked to respond to the question, “What do you love about your dad?” Their answers were sometimes poignant and often reflective of the fact that non-traditional roles of fatherhood are fast becoming accepted as the norm.
“I love my father, Bob, because we have fun together on weekends, and I love my new father, Al, because he plays with me and fixes me breakfast every morning.”
“I love my dad but I don’t know where he is. I know he’s somewhere because he sends us money all the time, but I don’t ever see him.”
“I love my dad because he loves me and my brother and my mom and he hugs and kisses us a lot.”
“I love my dad because he always brings us things when he visits us on weekends.”
— Buscaglia
Found in Contemporary sermon illustrations, Colaianni, James F, Colaianni, James F., 1922 · page 145
The point
Second graders' varied answers about what they love about their dads reveal how fatherhood today comes in many non-traditional but still loving forms.