How do you celebrate being a dad? It's Father's Day on Sunday, so hopefully you have a good idea of what you're doing. A lot of dads fire up the grill on Father's Day, which is kind of like asking a mom to prepare her favorite meal for Mother's Day, but it's okay. I have yet to meet a man who doesn't love grilling. I know I do, and I ask to grill on Father's Day sometimes. But that is not what I'm doing this year. This year I am celebrating Father's Day simply by being a dad.
I want to celebrate the fact that I get to be Jakob's dad more than I want to be celebrated for being his dad. I want to celebrate, not be celebrated. Although, to be completely honest, I love the new pair of Adidas I'm wearing while typing this, which Sarah bought for me for Father's Day. So maybe I like being celebrated just a little. But I want to celebrate Jakob, too! I want him to know that Father's Day is special to me, because he is special to me. So I wan to celebrate in a way he would love, not in a way that I hope he loves someday. With me? That means that although I want him to love the Detroit Tigers, and even though he has shown some interest in them, I'm not taking him at 3 years old to a game. That's something I love, but he wouldn't enjoy that yet. I don't want to be like the parents who take their 6-month old baby to Disney. That kid doesn't love it. It's really for the parents. I don't want that.
This year, we're going to Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park in Grand Rapids, because that is something I can enjoy with him. He will have more fun with the trampolines than me, and I will have more fun than he understands watching his joy. That's really all I want (other than the shoes on my feet). I want to celebrate by giving myself the best gift: joy in my son's heart and showing on his face.
I love my son. I love being his dad. I tell him and God that every single day. Happy Father's Day to me. And to you.
