A father is a thing that is forced to endure childbirth without an anesthetic.

A father is a thing that growls when it feels good–and laughs very loud when it’s scared half to death.

A father never feels entirely worthy of the worship in a child’s eyes. He’s never quite the hero his daughter thinks, never quite the man his son believes him to be–and this worries him, sometimes. So he works too hard to try and smooth the rough places in the road for those of his own who will follow him.

A father is a thing that gets very angry when the first school grades aren’t as good as he thinks they should be. He scolds his son though he knows it’s the teacher’s fault. Fathers are what give daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody’s .

Fathers grow old faster than other people.

And while mothers can cry where it shows, fathers stand there and beam outside–and die inside. Fathers have very stout hearts, so they have to be broken sometimes or no one would know what is inside. Fathers give daughters away to other men who aren’t nearly good enough so they can have grandchildren who are smarter than anybody’s. Fathers fight dragons almost daily. They hurry away from the breakfast table, off to the arena which is sometimes called an office or a workshop… where they tackle the dragon with three heads: Weariness, Work and Monotony.

Knights in shining armor.

Fathers make bets with insurance companies about who’ll live the longest. Though they know the odds, they keep right on betting. Even as the odds get higher and higher, they keep right on betting more and more. And one day they lose.

But fathers enjoy an earthly immortality and the bet is paid off to the part of him he leaves behind.

I don’t know where fathers go when they die. But I’ve an idea that after a good rest, wherever it is, he won’t be happy unless there’s work to do. He won’t just sit on a cloud and wait for the girl he’s loved and the children she bore. He’ll be busy there, too, repairing the stairs, oiling the gates, improving the streets, smoothing the way.

[SOURCE: Paul Harvey]

Holiday Collection

Creative Holiday Ideas has over 300 pages of ideas to help you plan your next Father’s Day event or activities in honor of fathers, as well as games, activities and meaningful discussions for a variety of the familiar holidays. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re going to do for all these holidays and how you’re going to do it, this resource is for you.

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