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So maybe your father may not wear a costume, or a lab coat, or armor (although lots of heroes do everyday), but he’s still a superhero.

Maybe he’s cool enough to have shared his favorite stories with you at bedtime, or made certain that the  first movie you saw was memorable.  Perhaps he held your hand as you walked down the aisles of the local convention, making sure his pint-sized Spider-Man didn’t get lost in the excitement.  He’s probably fixed lots of owies with Wolverine Band-Aids, turning a traumatic experience into something fun.

He’s most likely tolerated your likes and phases, remembering silly stuff he did at your age, even if he was never a little girl.  Maybe he’s even been a little clueless, like Mr. Fantastic, not quite understanding the Latest Thing, but accepting it because it makes you happy.  He most likely taught you to drive, probably the most fraught-filled activity any adult would undertake.

So, if you’re nearby, you’ll be spending a day with him, doing stuff he enjoys, and making more memories.  If not, you’ll probably give him a call, let him know you’re thinking of him, and talking about lots of stuff that doesn’t really matter, but it’s nice to share.  If you’re lucky (and male), perhaps you’re a father yourself, and the three (or more) of you are doing something so epic and so silly, that you can never tell Mom (at least not until Thanksgiving, when enough time has passed to avoid retribution)!  (The lemurs still mistrust us, some eleven years after we visited the zoo.)

If you’re near Denver (like my brother), perhaps you’re enjoying the family day at the Denver Comic Con, held downtown at the convention center.  Proceeds benefit the Comic Book Classroom!  (There’s also CAKE and METROCON this weekend!)  Or you could attend a baseball game (a different sort of geekery, complete with cosplay, arcane knowledge, and arguments which can end in violence)  Maybe you’re avoiding the heat, sitting in a dark cavernous cinema, watching the latest popcorn flick.  Or maybe you’re crossing off part of your bucket list (paintball!), or engaging your curiosity (dinosaurs!).  You might even learn something (sheep can be scary if they see you have food)!

Or maybe it something as simple as just relaxing, doing a whole ‘lot of nothing.  Guys tend to be quite good at that, even doing a lot of work designing and outfitting a man cave (Fortress of Solitude, Sanctum Sanctorum, Batcave, secret clubhouse) just so they can relax in isolation.  Whatever it is, we here at The Beat wish everyone a Happy Father’s Day!

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