Dad’s get a pretty bad rep across the world! I am not sure why, though. Are that many dads terrible at their job of being a good parent? It’s all about moms, no? I’m pretty sure there must be some logic to this bias, but I’m also fully aware that all dads aren’t the same and shouldn’t be painted with the same brush. For example, my father; who really proved that he was a father par excellence during the lockdown. I mean I was aware he was a good dad before that too, but the pandemic proved me oh-so-right!

I sat and whiled my time away during the pandemic, absolutely unawares of how my home was being run like there was no problem at all. Who ensured the status quo was maintained? My quiet, unassuming father, of course! He stood up to the occasion and did whatever he had to do to ensure my family didn’t feel the bite of the quarantine or the lockdown. Life was normal for us, because my father chose to keep it that way — all the while expecting no praise for performing what he claims is: his duty.

But are all parents like this? I know of so many parents shamelessly feigning their responsibilities. So many fathers who do not deserve to be called that term; so many parents who do things and then expect you to be thankful about them, or worse still, expect a future reimbursement for carrying out the duties of a parent. Those of us who have parents, who play their role as parents without batting an eyelid, do have much to be thankful about.

That said, I absolutely salute single mothers and mothers who run families without the help of fathers too. Not all fathers are made from the same mould. Some fathers can be women too. And bearing that in mind, maybe we start thanking ‘good’ fathers more often? Maybe, not just wait for the often-forgotten Father’s Day? And maybe, just maybe… like how we can celebrate women being good fathers on Father’s Day; let’s also celebrate fathers who make good mothers on Mother’s Day? What say you?