If youʼre watching the Olympics, youʼve seen all of the love that moms are getting from commercials that show athletes as children thanking their mothers for their support. Raising an Olympian is quite an accommplishment and itʼs really beautiful to see moms being recognized.
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But I am left wondering, what about the dads?
The other day, I tweeted that very question, and got some interesting responses, most of which boiled down to the fact that not everyone has a father in the home. But does that mean that we should discount the dads who are there for their kids? Iʼm sure some athletes didnʼt have great moms, but weʼre still celebrating the good ones, as we should.
I also got responses to my tweet from a lot of dads who had been wondering the same thing, but didnʼt want to say anything lest they seem sexist or anti-mom. As a very pro-mom woman (I have the best mom ever, sorry if you thought you did), it bothers me, too. I see a lot of shots of dads in the stands at these events, and I donʼt see any visible chains forcing them to be there. Dads are great, and they deserve to be recognized just as much as moms.
It is true that the ads are selling items that moms buy. But it is also true that more and more dads are staying at home these days, so youʼd think they would want to appeal to both. Or, if you want to be completely mercenary about it, appeal to a dad who works all the time and pays the bills if thatʼs how these companies see the role of a dad. Thatʼs not what I think a dad is, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57e4t-fhXDs
I am not an athlete in any way, however, when I was younger, I tried out different sports to see if something would stick. My dad was there to watch me tap dance, got me pink strings for my tennis racquets, and tied my figure skates tighter than anybody else (which is a good thing). My mom might have ben the one who usually took me to practice, because she was a stay at home mom when I was young, but my Dad was there for the big moments, and the small ones when he could be. When I moved into the geekery of orchestra and choir, he was still there, even though he is much more a sports guy. Now he reads my blog posts (hi, dad!) and tells everybody about my books. Dads are great (and mine is, of course, the best), and it really bugs me that they are just being ignored.
My parents were both was there for me, through my ill-fated attempts at athleticism, my music, and my writing. There were there for my brothersʼ travel hockey games hours away when we were kids, and flew to Lake Tahoe last summer to see one of them in his first IronMan. Theyʼre planning a trip around my other brotherʼs curling schedule so that they can see him do what he loves. None of us are Olympians, but it matters to our parents — both of them — even though weʼre all grown up.
Am I blessed to have these parents in my life? Beyond a doubt. I know that having the parents I have is a gift. The thing is, these ads are about having incredible parents, but only focus on the moms. Why are dads getting the short end of the stick?