Father Knows Best (About Some Things)

I'll bet Don Draper never got peed on while
changing a diaper.

Men have come a long way in the past 30 years. Back when I was growing up, most of the dads I knew had the following responsibilities: bring home the paycheck, take out the trash, mow the lawn, play catch with his sons, dole out the serious punishments ("Just wait 'til your father gets home!"), give pep talks, BBQ up dinner two times a summer, and maybe coach soccer or little league.

My very own father likes to brag that he's never changed a diaper in his life.

Nowadays, things are P-R-E-T-T-Y different. Roles and responsibilities are more evenly doled out; however, even when the dad is the sole breadwinner, he's still expected to change diapers, babysit while mom goes to the grocery store, handle the midnight feeding, and pitch in with housework--plus most of the things listed above. It's a big change over the Mad Men era, when Dad walked in the door after a hard day's work (those three-martini lunches must've been grueling) and was greeted with a steak dinner, a scotch & soda, and a smile.

However, despite the strides fathers have made, there is still room for improvement. Here are some things dads still can't do:

1. Give their daughter a neat ponytail.
2. Cut the kids' raviolis just the way they like it.
3. Put the baby's diaper on tight enough.
4. Figure out which toothpaste is for which child.
5. Bathe the kids without flooding the bathroom.
6. Put the kitchen utensils in the correct drawers.
7. Do more than two things at once.

These minor short-comings aside, fathers are the family unit's unsung heroes. Everyone talks about how hard motherhood is, and moms usually clean up on Mother's Day--jewelry, spa visits, etc. But you never hear people commenting on how difficult it is being a dad. And what does Pops get for Father's Day? A card, if he's lucky.

We moms really should thank our partners more often for all the great things they do. Are they perfect? No way. But we couldn't live without them. Nor would we want to--because life is more fun with Dad around. Dads make awesome paper airplanes, will play dinosaurs for hours, and most importantly, help us moms to not sweat the small stuff.

So a big thank you to all the fathers out there. We appreciate all you do and we love you.