Father's Day

This is the new definition of "stuck:" Having one good arm while a baby sleeps with one leg caught in your sling. For the record, I grabbed that camera from the floor with my feet.

   I've always been aware of the injustice that is Father's Day. The double standard that comes from mom getting pampered and treated like royalty while dad might get a sandwich. It's not so much Father's Day as it is Not Mother's Day.

   So yes, I think it's fair to say that I have been a tad underwhelmed on my first true Father's Day. (There was a baby growing in my wife a year ago today, but I graciously let her off the hook after I didn't do a darn thing for her pre-mom mother's day.) Let's really break down the disparity:

   For Mother's Day I did everything I could. I bought my mom (who is truly one fantastic mother -- among the best of them!) a package at her favorite spa, wrote her a nice card and arranged our after-church lunch so she'd be sure to enjoy it. I did all of this all by myself.

   What has my wife done for me today? She let me get up with the baby at 5:00 am before she took him at 5:40, took all the hot water while giving Wyatt a bath (selfish), treated me to a Costco dog after a trip shopping, and made me watch the baby while she mows the lawn. Thanks Cara, more babysitting!! I doubt I'll even get a dinner out of this. She did tell me, on the way home from church, that she "thought about getting [me] an iphone," which gives whole new meaning to the phrase "it's the thought that counts."

Pretty little wife mowing the lawn, and working hard.

   To sum up: I did all kinds of wonderful things for my mother on mother's day and my wife did all kinds of practical, helpful things for me on father's day, much like she does every other day. So, really, there was nothing special about this day. Great.

   What's the deal? All over the country, mother's day rates higher than father's. I can't pinpoint exactly why Mother's Day is a bigger deal than Not Mother's Day. It's probably because M's day comes first, and graduations and summer break steal a bit of F day's thunder. I know in our household, we have like twelve holidays and birthdays to celebrate in May and June. It can pile up. Maybe one day I can start a 10K to promote Father's Day or something, because it is under the radar.

My mood: underappreciated
Wyatt's mood: recognizing that I'm underappreciated
Listening to: Carly Simon

(side note: I feel like my sarcasm isn't as transparent as I'd like it to be this time, so I'll be very precise: I am very thankful for my hard-working wife who puts up with me, and I had a wonderfully relaxing first father's day.)