When you’re a parent, establishing certain agreed techniques regarding how to discipline your kids is very important; especially as one of you is always going to be the soft touch. When my girls were small, I was the easy pickings pushover parent, mainly because when I was a kid, (like a lot of us); I was raised by a woman who clearly missed her calling as an interrogator at Guantanamo Bay. Oh yeah, mammy was scary!
Due to that, when my beauts stepped out of line, I was guilty of sitting them down and giving them a lengthy lecture regarding all the reasons why their behaviour was unacceptable; with my eldest often pleading, “Ah Ma, will ya just give me a wallop or ground me like me friend’s Ma does to her; sure it’d be less painful than this feckin’ lecture!” To which I’d reply “G’wan; but you just wait till your father gets home…he can deal with you”.
Now I know I’m not the only mother who used this common discipline mistake technique, but you see, while passing the buck to dear old Dad wasn’t really fair, it was kind of easier, (in tricky situations), for us to use him as the killjoy bad cop. Bless him.
And so, for this very reason, this Sunday, as a sign of our appreciation for our children’s fathers, (and for our own fathers), we’ve put together a last-minute gift guide for that wonderful man who provided late-night lifts, bike riding lessons, who made up crazy bedtime stories, and whom, when it was needed, allowed himself to be ‘used and abused’ as mammy’s convenient bad guy back-up stooge. What a hero!
Here are our top five suggestions:
For rambunctious rocker dad: Does dad fancy himself as a bit of a performer? Perhaps he’s a frustrated head-banging, air guitar player; and, despite the fact you’d rather stick bamboo shoots under your nails than witness the aul fella reliving his ‘bat out of hell’ days, you know you’ll do ‘anything for love’…well, for the dad you love; so get him tickets to a local gig this weekend.
For retro dad: A unique set of anti-static record (or LP) sleeve covers to keep his favourite Led Zeppelin, Status Quo and The Beatles’ collections safe and pristine.
For techno dad: A portable charger to keep his smartphone and his smart watch charged and text ready for when he needs to send you that mortifying joke or embarrassing air guitar playing pic!
For master of malt dad: A whiskey tasting selection set will go down a treat.
For health freak dad: Does he love making the aul soups ‘n’ smoothies? If so, pick him up a nutri bullet blender; sure you never know, he may even graduate to mixing you a Margarita!
Happy Father’s
Day, Dad!
