Daily Archives: June 20, 2010

Fathers Day. What a joke. As far as I am concerned, Fathers Day is a perfect example of “what not to do” in a relationship. It flies directly in the face of Mothers Day, where every married man across America has to treat a woman that is NOT their mom like a queen, spending vast sums of money on them and taking them out to expensive dinners at over crowded restaurants, only to be served undercooked food and get crappy service.

Fathers Day in my marriage used to come and go and barely get noticed by my ex-wife. (Note the ex-wife) My kids would make me these wonderful cards, every one of which I still have today, and do something special for old dad. My ex would do little or nothing. This is where the confusion began.

See, on Mothers Day I was not only expected to wine and dine my ex, I was supposed to go out and buy her gifts from not only me, but my daughters too. Mothers Day used to go on like this each year, and I absolutely dreaded it. Doing special chores for her. Taking her out and listening to her complain about the crappy service and food. It was awful.

Today I will be largely ignored by my kids, who for the most part are grown. I will get the obligatory phone call saying “Happy Fathers Day” and thats about it. My oldest is heading out to the Santa Monica Pier for a music festival. My younger daughter is going out with her friends.

No one will do a damn thing for me, and thats the way I like it. Mothers Day and Fathers Day should be every day. We bring these little monsters into the world, the least they can do is show a bit of gratitude once in a while.

As for me, I am going to go to work today and behave as if it were just another day, because thats what it is after all. I’m going to the gym and stopping by the ex- wifes house to see my ex-sister in law and her brood.

Then I will come home from work, and treat myself to a beer and some In-n-Out Burger. Happy Fathers Day to all you schmucks that thought that this year would be any different from the last. JD