Recently I made the fatal mistake of venturing onto Facebook
Yes, I should know better- and only keep it around, for Facebook marketplace (eBay takes too much of your money)
And there it was…
A local Dad had posted the horrific tale of eating at local restaurant and his young daughter had left behind a cherished doll
Fifteen minutes later when the family returned for the doll- the staff had thrown it away
(First world problems)
The distraught father did what any young father would do in 2023, he immediately took to social media to complain about the: restaurant, the staff and the manager
This outraged “dad” (real DADS don’t act like this) included a handrawn picture from his young daughter in the post- complete with tears and a missing doll
The post had over one thousand likes and 250+ comments by the time I wiped the vomit off my lips from reading it
All but 2 comments were in support of this weak dad and his empowerment of victimhood culture in his family
My dude never mentioned these obvious facts in his teary-reader supported victimhood social media ritual:
He, as the leader of his family is ultimately to blame for leaving his daughters doll behind- no one else, it’s called responsibility dad
His daughter could also have benefitted from this experience - by being taught in a loving way “that’s too bad, what can we do next time to ensure we don’t leave things behind”? - this approach to parenting isn’t marketable on social media, nor is it sexy- but it does raise children who will survive and be responsible adults in society
What about his wife? Why didn’t she check to ensure that all the kids stuff was gathered up? How about an older sibling helping out? - easier to blame someone else, and more chance of “going viral” with a victim- right?
This little tale of loss makes me think about my own Dad, and what he would have done
I know exactly what he would have said:
“That’s what happens when you don’t take care of your stuff, next time you won’t do that”
He would not have gone back to the restaurant
Harsh right?
No, just teaching REAL life lessons
Not every loss works out with Disney fireworks and music at the end
Sometimes you lose the doll
it hurts, you cry
But you learn
My Dad was from Appalachia- grew up in the Southwest Mountains of Virginia in the late 1930s and early 40s
Hard times
Hard country
Hard people
Resilience was the key to survival
My Dad was most proud of being able to hitch up a mule at age 5, and talked about it often
Here’s a rare picture of him as a young boy working that mule in the early 1940s
Dad was the toughest man I’ve ever known
He raised me hard
No excuses
I learned harsh lessons
I’m thankful for them
They have shaped me and made me be resilient enough to handle the blows that come with life
I’m glad he chose iron instead of tissue when it came to raising his family
Tissue tears when it’s stretched
Not Iron
dad are soft now, we need more “capital D” DADS
We need more Iron workers when it comes to Dads, not tissue box holders
Mother’s Day this weekend- so here’s to you Mothers out there, I know of NO harder job than being a Mother
I also no of NO more rewarding job
I know of no more important job
I’m EXTREMELY grateful for my own Mother, and my beautiful wife- the Amazing Mother of our 4 children
God bless the Mothers and the Fathers this weekend!
It takes both
Peace
Love
Brisket
-J
Substack suits you.
"I’m glad he chose iron instead of tissue when it came to raising his family"
That was powerful