Okay, I’ve got some Father’s Day Homework for you. Your assignment is to take a few minutes this Sunday, open up a fresh word processor, cut and paste the questions at the bottom of this post into a document, then answer them. If you want bonus points, print the document out, seal it, and then bust it out five or so Father’s Days down the line. If your still feeling good about it, send it to your child on the occasion of becoming a grandfather.

There are a lot of questions here. It’s a lot of work. But it’s worth your time.

I know because this is what Doug French and his friends at Norelco asked me to do. And I’m grateful that they did. As dads, we are so busy with the minutiae of raising kids, we don’t take the time to check in with what our objectives, hopes and dreams are as a parent.

I know that I have spend the better part of the last six years thinking about, writing about, talking about being a dad. Despite all that, responding to these questions forced me to articulate (more or less) what my values are as a dad. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one noodling on these questions. Whit Honea, Jim Higley, The Didactic Pirate, and Jon Armstrong also gave some thought to these inquiries -- and the result was the following video.



You can find more individual videos from the guys on YouTube.

The Questions:

What does it mean to be a dad today?
What’s the best part about being a dad?
When are you proudest of being a dad?
What changed the most when you became a dad?
How are you different from your dad? How are you the same?
What’s the hardest part about being a dad?
What do you worry about most as a dad?
What would you say was the defining moment for you as a dad?
What is your favorite memory since becoming a dad? Can you describe it?
What do you think is the most important thing you do for your kids?
What do you want for your kids?
What advice would you give your kids on parenting?
What have you learned from your kids?
What advice would you give your kids on parenting?
What do you want your kids to know about you? About life in general?

And before you go, pick one question from the list and answer it here. I recently discovered (during a fun #NewFaceofDad twitter party) that sharing the answers to these questions with other dads that you respect can be as illuminating as answering for yourself.

DadLabs was compensated for participating in this campaign. I am grateful to Philips Norelco and Doug French for the opportunity.

Yea, if that assignment doesn't choke you up, you're a machine. That is a great video DaddyClay.

I'm gonna throw a couple of related things in with this nostalgia of Father's Day... This was shared on the DadLabs Facebook page:

www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/201...-at-home-dad/258523/

With the spoiler take away quote being, "Becoming a father... 'will put silver in your hair, and gold in your heart.'" Indeed.

And this was shared by a friend of mine, and I'm not exactly sure why (I have some speculations*) but it hit me HARD. (in a good way) I mean, gives me goosebumps to just think about it. I have pushed this via DadLabs FB as well my own, sharing it directly with several friends with small kids.

imgur.com/a/HgZZF

The jist, get a copy of the Seuss book, "Oh the places you'll go..." and have your child's teachers write in it, year after year. Then give it as a graduation present. (Her story has over 380,000 views in 10 hours... Yea, I think people dig this idea.) Edit: 1.3 million in 24 hours... BOOM.

*I think it hit me so hard because I could see myself doing this, year after year. I mean, REALLY envision it. I can clearly visualize that future moment of giving TheBoy that book. While this may seem trivial, it's a HUGE deal to me.

You see, my divorce at the start of the millennium pretty much killed any future vision for me. I had to start over completely, and in order to do that, I had to start living in the present, for ME. Over the past 12 years, I've been able to make plans and see things fairly clearly, but only about 6 months into the future. Any further than that, and it's just way too foggy and uncertain. (I used to worry that this meant I wasn't going to make it that long.) Hell, I think that's half my problem with the whole 'strength in numbers' challenge. This lack of ability to 'see' the future leads to dread and thinking of my own mortality and striving to 'live in the present' because you don't know how long you have yadda yadda, which of course kills that future vision once again.

So for me to suddenly see 12 years into my family's future, and to actually recognize that vision, has hit me so squarely in the chest. And I do feel kind of silly about it all because of what gave it to me, a simple idea on a memory book. That's it, nothing more.

Now to parlay that joyous feeling of life into meaningful productivity in my life... Well, that's the challenge isn't it? But I am certainly more focused and ambitious. Tonight anyway...

Happy Father's Day, Melon Farmers. Happy Father's Day, indeed.