What dads do

Every dad may be different, but in some ways they're all the same.

Dads take care of you. They are there for you. They love you. And as 3-year-old Viv told me Friday: “They're good for helping you grow.”

You and I both know it's important for kids to have strong male role models, but no one knows it better than kids themselves. More than that, they feel it.

So in honor of Father's Day (Sunday: call your dad), I talked to a few experts over at the Kirkwood School for Children in Iowa City. Here's what I learned from Viv and from Will, 9, Bella, 5, Leif, 3, Harry, 5, Hazel, 7, and her brother Oliver, who is almost 9.

Sometimes dads live with you, sometimes they don't. Sometimes dads aren't technically dads - they're uncles or friends who look out for you.

“My dad's got a beard,” Bella said. “He's so nice and he's so comfortable. He's got big eyes, like a cat.”

“My daddy loves me and I love him,” Viv said. “He always does good stuff.”

What kinds of good stuff do dads do? They work. They play with kids and tell them stories. They take them out to eat and sometimes let them choose what restaurant they'll go to.

Dads play music or go fishing. They help Mom in the garden. They fix things.

“They really help you do things and accomplish tasks and stuff,” Will said. “They help out with big loads.”

“They help kids,” Harry said. “They teach kids stuff.”

Dads teach you to play nice with your sister. They teach you how to make an omelet. Dads help you practice the piano or the bass, they teach you run-jump kicks, like in Kung Fu.

“My Frisbee got stuck on the roof and my dad helped to get it down,” Will said. “He taught me how to go fishing, I'm pretty sure.”

“My dad has taught me quite a bit of things,” Oliver said.

Why do dads do it? Because they love you. You know they do because they tell you.

You also know because they take you to school, they make food for you. They give you candy and play games. They bounce you around. They give you good night kisses and read you stories.

“They take good care of you,” Bella said.

“When you get hurt, they help you; when you need help, they help you,” Hazel said. “They just do nice things for you,” Oliver said.

Dads are important. Why? That's easy.

“We're a family,” Harry said. “We're just a family – that's the thing.”

Happy Father's Day, dads.

Comments: (319) 339-3154; jennifer.hemmingsen@gazcomm.com