Fantastic Dads

There are not many commercials that I would say I love to watch.  But there are a few that are very clever, and some that are downright endearing.  My favorite is the Subaru commercial of the dad teaching his twin sons to drive a stick shift.  In the midst of their uncertainty and frustration, and yes, even their competition with each other, he remains a calm and steadying influence. 

This is thirty seconds of refreshing, authentic, heart-wrenching life.  This situation could go either way.  It could have the dad and sons fuming and yelling at each other, accusations flying between the front and back seats.  But thankfully the creators of this particular commercial chose to go against the flow.  So many dads in the media today are portrayed as brutish, lazy, irresponsible, or uncaring, to name a few.  To be honest, those are just my impressions of these characters based on my passing exposure to them in commercials – I would never choose to watch a show that had a character such as this in its lineup.  Not even if it was a cartoon. 

So I am delighted with the portrayal of THIS dad as patient, willing to offer clear instruction, and ready to give a word of encouragement.  His final words as the piece comes to a close – “You guys are doing a great job, seriously.” 

I thought about waiting to post this until Father’s Day, but that doesn’t come for three more months, and I felt that this was the time.  Dads – may the Lord bless you and teach YOU, so that you, in turn, can train up your children in the way they should go. (Proverbs 22:6)

Fantastic Dads

There are really special fathers

Occupying all parts of the earth.

They work very hard to protect their young,

Sometimes even before their birth.

The catfish dad swims all around

With his eggs held in his jaws.

He doesn’t eat for a month and a half –

An action that merits applause.

Very few insects care for their young,

But the water bug dad is one.

He keeps the eggs clean and dry on his back

‘Til the time of hatching is done.

The great horned owl must feed himself

And his mate so she isn’t stressed.

And when the eggs hatch, he feeds them too,

For they’ll freeze if they leave the nest.

The red fox dad loves to play with his pups

And teach them how to thrive.

He’ll bury some food for them to find

And show them the skills to survive.

There are human dads all around the earth

Who love and take care of their own.

They make every effort to train up their kids

Until they’re completely grown.

The ultimate dad who outshines the rest

Is our awesome and loving Lord.

He gave His all that His children would see

How His mercy and grace is outpoured.

© Liz Kimmel