Being a parent doesn't come with a set of instructions, no matter how much fathers wish it did.
The video above by American Greetings is the company's Father's Day response to their "World's Toughest Job" ad for moms, which showcased just how much mothers do on any given day (for no pay at all).
So how do dads measure up? The set-up for this piece was showing dads auditioning for the role of, you guessed it, Dad. According to this video, Dad tends to stumble when presented with their kids' tough situations, but it's the reassurance that he'll always be there that makes kids remember what a pillar of strength he is. In other words, he's the heavy.
While we're certainly not averse to the heartstring-pulling ploy taken by these depictions, we do have an objection to the stereotype of Dad as just being the guy who lays down the law. Considering how many more dads have taken on primarily parenting responsibilities in the past few decades, not to mention how much more equal partnerships between parents are in general, we think it's time for a dad update. (Though we will say, making fun of dads, like this Bud Light parody tried to do, probably isn't the best route to go either.)
So yes, this Father's Day, remember that your dad was the guy who gave you the good advice, or always offered up his big shoulders for a cry, but also think about him cleaning up your puke when you were sick, or helping you make the best science project. Because we know dads often do have the answers — they just don't always come in the form of scripted advice.
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