W
ith Father’s Day this month, I think about the stories kids will tell of their fathers. As humans, we evolved to be around people--to work together, to compete, to laugh, to cry, and to tell stories. For many, telling stories can be describing to others what just happened or an elaborate tale with a humorous ending. As a dad, I tell stories all the time to my daughter–whether that is reading a book, explaining how something works, or retelling a past event. So, the question is, what stories will your kids tell about you? Nowadays, there are few opportunities to slay dragons, save the city from evil, or lead a rebellion. Kids don’t
need extraordinary acts to have stories of you. Dads leave an impression of who they are on their children by how they interact daily and, in particular, when times are tough. Think of your growing up years and how you would characterize the kind of person your dad was. There is little doubt that growing up during a pandemic and experiencing radical changes will leave an impact on children. They get their cues of how to respond when things are tough, and tough like now, from how their parents handle the situation. Parents can become the filter through which kids see the world. It may be worthwhile to think about what kinds
Father’s day by Rob Weisskirch
of emotions the kids see from you, as the dad, in the current situation. I don’t think anyone has been immune from feeling the anxiety of not knowing what will happen next. Have I been stressed? Yes. Has homeschooling my daughter been unpleasant? Yes. Has doing my job from home been hard? Yes. Has there been more screen time than I would like? Yes. Have I been a less-than-perfect parent? Yes. Shelter in place has stretched at the seams of this fabric of fatherhood, but overall, this has been a chance to create the plotline of how our family handled the pandemic and everything associated with it. The past generation that faced a pandemic and adversity raised a gen-
The Story of Dad As a dad, I tell stories all the time to my daughter–whether that is reading a book, explaining how something works, or retelling a past event. So, the question is, what stories will your kids tell about you?
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MONTEREY BAY PARENT • june 2020
