Father knows best … or at least knows better than meNo matter how old I get, I still need my dad as much as ever. In fact, the more I think about it, I actually need him more as I get older.The things that make him so needed are more difficult nowadays: Instead of unknotting stubborn shoelaces, I ask him to detangle life’s major problems. Most of us will spend Sunday, Father’s Day, appreciating our dads, but the good ones out there — especially mine — deserve pats on the back every day.The story that tells how my dad is such a good one isn’t dramatic — it’s a quiet tale of his constant devotion to and love for his family.He is kind and loving to his wife and three daughters. Dad is always honest and fair and candidly articulates his beliefs with intelligence. His strength has shown up in countless ways. He tolerated hours of the Quam Sisters singing our version of "Moonlight Bay" or rounds of "Row Your Boat" on car trips.I always knew I was lucky that he was with us every night after work, on call for homework help or to break up sibling fights. But I was also lucky, growing up, because he wasn’t the type of dad who was called on only for discipline or playtime. He was always there, putting in his share of parenting: teaching us to sharpen a knife, weed a garden, thumb wrestle or check the oil. He taught us our favorite bedtime prayer and made sure we brushed our teeth.He also included his daughters in his activities. One of my sisters still hunts with him, for instance, and I used to enjoy casting lead bullets for his muzzleloader. (I keep the very first bullet I made in a special corner of my jewelry armoire.) Obviously, Dad didn’t treat his girls as if they were the fairer sex. He did everything he could to make us know we were equals in a male-dominated world and that worrying about hair, makeup or clothes was a superficial waste of our time. I didn’t appreciate that mindset when he made us wear waterproof army green boots in the winter, when all the other girls had trendy moon boots that matched their coats.That’s not to say he doesn’t like to dress up now and then himself — he comes up with the best Halloween costumes. Most recently, he was a hit as a drag queen and Ozzy Osbourne.But he’s got a lot more to offer than laughs or his strange brand of creativity. Dad’s intelligence can be startling … or annoying if you’re playing opposite him in a board game. He’s an artist, crossword puzzle solver, historian, mad scientist … and still a gentleman. In the same day he can order with ease off a fancy wine list, put on his bibbed overalls to clean the gutters and casually sketch an eagle that could be in the pages of an Audubon book.Yes, the more I think about it, the more I am thankful for many qualities about my dad. The little annoying things he did (like taking family pictures next to roadside historical markers) fade away. The days of him hoisting me on his shoulders to get a better look at the world are long gone, but I will always appreciate my dad for the way he shows me everything from a new perspective. And I won’t forget to tell him that this Father’s Day.
