Dads love ties, amirite?
This week's newsletter is a few things in no particular order, because otherwise I would just be writing about summer programs for kids some more and I think I've said enough about that for now.
Ties, Tools and Grills
Several years ago, I wrote about how freaking annoying it is that Father's Day stuff (and just generally things for adult men, I guess) exist in this extremely narrow universe that only includes "golf, grilling, using power tools and sitting in an easy chair." I'm still annoyed about it, tbh, and apparently I'm not the only one.
buying a father's day card when ur dad isn't a bald beer drinking serial farter is like navigating a minefield
— jio joi (@_jggg) June 18, 2021
I stopped trying to buy Father's Day cards years ago, opting instead to commission my kid to make random/nonsensical ones like this Pokemon raising a tiny cocktail in salute:
Sarah Wheeler's latest newsletter (now renamed Momspreading, which I LOVE), complains about basically the same thing, only way funnier and more awesome, so you should not only read it but also subscribe.
Dads In Their Own Write
I am often frustrated by gender binaries being like Dudes are like this and chicks are like that, you know?!?!? but I also cannot deny that dads move through the world of parenting in an entirely different way from me, a mom. So I appreciate reading Dads in their own words, like Shannon Carpenter's piece from last year about how dads shouldn't try to be mom (Shannon has a book coming out soon for new stay-at-home dads, a great gift for anyone you know who fits that particular bill!). I also loved Jay Deitcher's beautifully vulnerable piece about the labor that comes with building a bond with your child. Have you read any great dad writing lately? If so, please let me know!
Don't Tell Mom, The Babysitter's Dad
Finally, as we all re-enter society, I wanted to close with a reminder to everyone in the entire universe, especially nosy old ladies on the bus or at the office: If Dad is watching the kids, he's not baby-sitting and does not need a medal. If Mom is out in public without the kids, no need to ask her where the children are! Please just assume they are being watched by a competent adult, as is typically the case nowadays.
Its 2021 and also a pandemic but STILL when I’m working people ask me “who has the baby?” And when I say my husband does they say something like “aw that’s good practice for him”. He’s literally been shut in a house with this baby since birth but it’s still “dads babysitting!”
— Lucy Huber (@clhubes) June 18, 2021
This has been an abbreviated, holiday edition of Think of the Children, a free weekly newsletter about the intersection of parenting and education. I'm eager to interview folks who have something to say on these topics, including if you are very brazenly interested in promoting something like your new book. Seriously, call me.