Daniel J. Summers » Charter Member of the VRWC

Happy Father’s Day out there to all you dads. I must say that this year’s Father’s Day, when I’m at home and not deployed, certainly beats last year’s.

One troubling trend that I’ve noticed over the past several years is that nearly every portrayal of fatherhood in movies and television could be played by the same guy, called the “Doofus Dad.” He’s wrong-headed and strong-headed - he may not be right, but he’s never in doubt. Sometimes, the plots will center around him mending his ways - in others, he’s the catalyst for negative behavior in others.

I was going to write about this on Father’s Day, but Morgan Freeberg over at the House of Eratosthenes has done a much more thorough job than I could have - check out his Doofus Dad List. You can also do a Google search on “doofus dad” to see some other commentary on the phenomenon. There are organizations dedicated to helping fathers reach their full potential. The National Center for Fathering is one I’ve had the privilege of working with and being associated with for several years.

So happy Father’s Day, dads - may we never become the stereotype!