Happy Dad's Day!

I hope all the fathers out there will get a chance to stop for a moment today to celebrate their special day. I'm so grateful to have been raised by a wonderful dad. My mom is amazing too, but moms get too much attention, as far as I'm concerned. The traditional mom role is what? To be loving and nurturing, to kiss the booboos, to be patient and fascinated by activities that bore other adults to tears? That's the easy part. Anybody can ohh and ahh over a baby!

The tough part is raising a responsible, ethical adult, someone you would want to know even if they weren't part of your family. Traditionally, this is where dads come in. Dads are the ones who teach us that it's not OK to skip baseball practice just because you stayed up too late. They're the ones who give you the confidence to stand on your own two feet while mom is still busy trying to tie our shoelaces. They're the ones who don't inspire cards with flowers and hearts, but who inspire leaders.

And before I get a bunch of comments defending moms, I'll slap on a caveat - I'm sure there are lots of awesome moms who know that part of being a great parent involves discipline, setting boundaries and pushing your children to push themselves. I'm just really sick of kids today getting rewarded for simply showing up and putting in some half-assed effort. Why do so many moms do this? They can't possibly think that setting the bar incredibly low is preparing their children for a successful life in the real world.

It's hard to ignore the number of single moms and divorced families. I see a generation of lazy, apathetic teenagers who've been reared on the concept of unconditional love and have ended up with the gift of zero motivation. Actions *do* have consequences in the real world, including a lack of action. While Joey Blow's mom was making little Joey pancakes and letting him sleep in, Tiger and his dad were already on the back nine. By the time Joey got fired from his 3rd job, Tiger had made his first million.

Cheers to you, dads!