Today I spent the entire day alone with my son because my wife went to a barbecue in another state with some former co-workers.  We went to mall and hung out, he smiled and waved at everyone like some bizarre shrunken politician.  We ate chicken nuggets.  When we finally went home we watched a movie together then he took a nap.  I installed Trend Micro’s antivirus software.  He woke up and I gave him dinner.  By the time my wife came home he was in the bathtub.  My wife thanked me for taking care of my boy.

Why is it that we get thanked, or some other kind of random praise, when we do our jobs as dads?  At work I expect to be thanked, not at home.  I’m not a babysitter, or a nanny, I’m a dad.  I expect to get praise once a year on that special day in June set aside for the sole purpose of thanking dads.  I want my deeds as a dad to be seen as mundane, boring, everyday, routine, not special. I know my wife meant well, but it’s time that we get what we deserve for being dads: nothing.  My child’s giggles when I make fake farting sounds are thanks enough.  Oh, and him graduating from Columbia’s School of Medicine. Â