Comments on: not another Hallmark card

By: Sandy

Sandy — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:05:28 +0000

My card to my father this year said something about me wishing him low gas prices. I, too, am always looking for a card that doesn’t praise my father for being something he wasn’t. While I do appreciate the financial support he gave us, there doesn’t seem to be an appropriate card for that. And while I did send a card this year, I have stopped making the obligatory phone call, it being the only attempt we make at a conversation in the whole year. Thank you for giving voice to my feelings on a day when I would much rather be buying a card for “Daddy”. Except I don’t have one.

By: They Call Me Bobby

They Call Me Bobby — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:43:29 +0000

I totally dodge this bullet and do not give my father a father’s day card from me. The “grandkids” give them a card. Of course, I am still in the card aisle thinking, “Which is the most generic?” And buy that one. Problem solved….sorta Beautifully written post.

By: Aliki

Aliki — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:56:33 +0000

I couldn’t believe how hard it was to find the right Father’s Day cards for both the fathers in my life. Everything was cheesy, or gross, or contrived. In the end I resorted to blank cards for both my dad, and one for my husband, which I let the kids fill in.

beautiful post.

By: pnuts mama

pnuts mama — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:21:04 +0000

oh, i have the same problems getting my biodad a card, diff but similar problems for my fil, and completely different issues getting one for the man who raised me as his own but whom i’ve never called “dad”- so hard to find the one that says what you really feel.

so easy for me to find so many for pnutsdaddy, who is the most incredible father. he’s the reason why i love holidays that have been hijacked by corporations- i love having special days to call attention to him and only him, for all he does for her and me and all he is his for her and me- he deserves it, as does dave, as do all the amazing daddies out there.

but i certainly do hear you on the separate pain that loss brings to those days as well- they seem almost unimaginably cruel and heartless, as if you needed another reason to feel that pain again.

By: Janet

Janet — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:38:48 +0000

Gorgeous photos of your two guys.

I even had a difficult time finding a card for my dad who was a traditional sort of father. I don’t know why the folks who make greeting cards think there is no middle ground between mushy, mushy, mush and dad as a bumbling stereotype.

By: brooke

brooke — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:08:28 +0000

ah bon. what a glorious photo of your men, and a sense of peace in knowing that O will not know the same childhood as you did. I often wonder about those cards. I have several people in my life that I would love to acknowledge, but they don’t fit into any of the pigeonholes the card companies have created. sigh.

By: woman in a window

woman in a window — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:36:36 +0000

Your husband there, see how he opens up to you at the camera. (Ya, I used the word husband. Not married? Yes you are…)

By: mek

mek — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:17:53 +0000

Lovely pictures, and lovely thoughts. I have a different father-history than you – my dad has been nothing but an inspiration and a comfort to me – and yet…I still can never find a card that I think fits him. Like you say – too mushy or too insulting. I still often make one, or find a nice blank one. This year I found good ones for my own dad and my husband (Cora did make one at daycare – sponge-print dolphins)…can’t remember where I tucked them away. So, everyone got a rather plain notecard this year.

Our gift to daddy? The new cookbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. A gift for everyone to enjoy! :)

By: Georgia

Georgia — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:58:06 +0000

Happy Dad’s Day Dave. Strange that you guys have the same Mum’s Day as us but a different Dad’s Day.

By: misty

misty — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:43:00 +0000

I don’t see the day as a Hallmark holiday. I always look for just the right card, and if I can’t find one, pick a blank one with a funny picture and write a little something for both Dad and Mart.
I know how much Mart weighed his choice of being Dad when he met me and Reiley, and I am so greatful and thankful he took the chance. So the special day is well deserved.