Dad feels cheated in parental holiday gifting

[Liberal_in_LA]

Dad feels cheated in parental holiday gifting

# Writer believes Father's Day is not as respected as Mother's Day
# Says: We're paying for the sins of our fathers, and our fathers' fathers
# We deserve more than boxer shorts, soap-on-a-rope, and neckties
# Plasma TV with 50-inch screen, built-in surround-sound speakers would be nice

One Mother's Day, I bought my wife what she had wanted for years -- a weeping cherry tree -- and I threw in a bird bath, so that when the tree matures, our feathered friends can happily splash and drink under its loving protection.

For Father's Day, my wife gave me some boxer shorts and a tiny reading light, so I can flip through a book in bed without disturbing her.

My wife is the first to admit it: For her, and for many people, Father's Day is an afterthought, a holiday just a few steps above the one that celebrates the groundhog and that other one that promotes trees.

If Mom's Day and Dad's Day were in a prize fight, we all know which holiday would wind up lying in the corner of the ring, knocked-out teeth on the mat, dazed head stuck in a bucket.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/06/15/p.unfair.fathersday.afterthought/index.html

:popcorn: :popcorn:

[liberal N proud]

1. My heart almost reaches out for this poor man.

Almost, but not even close.

Whaaaaa!

This crybaby missed the whole point of gift giving.

[TommyO]

14. And you missed the point of the article

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

2. He's 100% Correct.

Personally, I say we scrap 'em both.

Too many times during the year we have to figure out what kind of useless unnecessary crap to buy just to feel like we came through as we were supposed to. Birthdays, anniversaries, christmas, mothers day, fathers day, valentines day. Enough already.

[monmouth]

8. Hallmark is the only beneficiary here....n/t

[DCKit]

Why do you hate America? Our economy would fail without all those gift-days.

I think it was Conrad Hilton who once said of his wife (to paraphrase):

"Zsa Zsa (Gabor) knows of more days when it's appropriate to receive gifts than there are days on a calendar"

[MindPilot]

3. Sac up dude.

Part of being a man is doing a whole bunch of shit for which you will never receive any recognition and not whining about it.

[aikoaiko]

9. I agree

As one father to another, that guy needs to quit whining and be grateful.

[peacefreak]

4. When he pushes his baby out his

orifice, then he can have the 50 inch flat screen.

[struggle4progress]

22. Oh, cut the guy a break! He's learned to distinguish between his kids and Iraqi insurgents --

what more could you really expect?

[Lance_Boyle]

5. So chop down the damned tree, eat the birds

and get a divorce. This is not rocket surgery.

[panader0]

6. When my kids were 7 and 8

They stayed up very late the night before Father's Day and made paper chains and strung them all over. When I came downstairs in the morning, I was blown away. It was a Father's Day to last forever.

[CoffeeCat]

15. That's just too sweet...

Love fuels those craft projects. Children do those things out of pure love.

That's pretty neat! :)

[Happyhippychick]

7. Uh...the presents are from the kids (in spirit). Why is he complaining???

[MADem]

10. If you want a "good" father's day gift, it has to meet a number of criteria

First, it has to be affordable. Affordable is a different concept to different families.

Second, it can't be "just for you." That birdbath and cherry tree the writer is whining about (and he is a whining crybaby, an embarrassment to men across America)? Why, HE can enjoy that gift too, and so can the whole family--it's not like his wife has that thing hidden in her private dressing room--that thing is a "house" improvement. When the house is sold, that whole set-up is "value added" to the sale price.

Ergo, something like a new barbecue grill is just the thing for Father's Day. It's a "house" gift, that everyone benefits from. Same way with a new tee vee--but only if it goes in the "family room." And fifty inches is too fucking big for most homes. Go smaller and cheaper and get over yerself!

Finally, you have to ASK before you can receive. Don't drop hints, flat-out say "I'd like something like X, Y, or Z for Father's Day!" Of course, X, Y, and Z had better not cost as much as a Lambourghini and had better be something the rest of the family will enjoy, too.

Reasonable, affordable things. But if you don't ask, you're going to get that tie and those socks and that underwear.

[CoffeeCat]

11. No neckties in our house...

My kids are 8 and 9--and this year we are making "We love Dad" stepping stones to put in our
landscaping. I also bought an oak tree, which he has been wanting forever. The kids will
make cards and we'll grill out in the backyard and have his favorite dessert--cheesecake.

It's not fancy or expensive, but I plan and involve the kids and try to make the day special.

Sounds like this guy's wife needs to get it out of first gear.

[cloudbase]

12. I've got two great sons,

a loving wife, and two cats who ignore me unless they want something. For me, every day is Father's Day.

[AlCzervik]

13. let me back up the boohoomobile for him so he can jump in.

[kath]

16. The guy wants a frikkin' medal because he "even gave both girls a bath -- at the same time -- not

once, but two nights in a row!"

PUH-LEEZE! Give me a frikkin' break!

What a loser.

[CL455W4R]

17. This article may seem superficial ...

Who gives a rat's ass about gifts, really? But it does reflect a deeper issue, which is the systemic emasculation of males since the rise of feminism. Male behaviors are portrayed as "bad" over and over again in our society. Hell, think of all the young boys who drugged up on Ritalin or Aderrol for no other illness than behaving like young boys...

[undeterred]

20. "systemic emasculation of males since the rise of feminism"

Welcome to DU, Rush. Did they take away your radio show?

[Vickers]

18. What a fucking crybaby.

If he was my dad, I'd whack him upside the head with a shovel.

[deaniac21]

19. The article is tongue in cheek folks....settle down

[Lone_Star_Dem]

21. Because it's all about the gifts?

How painfully materialistic.

I still have my favorite Mother's Day gift framed and hanging on my wall. It's a drippy, painting of my daughter's hands under which is her crayon, kindergarten grade writing, of the poem "Hand-prints".