In case you didn’t know it, Father’s Day is coming up on June 16^th.  I know for many of you who are not fathers, this generally comes as a surprise – as it appears that other than Hallmark, Home Depot, or Lowe’s, most people don’t think about what to do for dear ‘ol Dad until late in the evening on June 15^th.  Don’t fool yourselves – we Dads know what’s up.

Now Father’s Day is much different from Mother’s Day.  Moms want lots of family around them, they want flowers, they want to be taken out for dinner, and they basically just want to be fawned over and showered with attention, kisses, and hugs for twenty-four hours.  The remainder of the family hopes that all of this extra love and interest showered upon Mom will somehow make-up for the other 364 days of grief that we give her the rest of the year (and it usually works).

Dads; however, are completely different.  Oh, the grief is the same, but the remedy is completely different.  Wives and kids all over the country are pondering right now – “what can we do for Dad this coming Sunday?  What can we get him?”

Well, I’m about to let you in on a little Dad secret (being one myself).  We gentlemen don’t need another gift – no additional ties, no soap-on-a-rope, no “#1 Dad” plaque for the office desk.  We don’t need a crate full of new barbeque tools, a box of fresh golf balls, or a gift certificate to get the family car detailed.  You know what Dad really wants for Father’s Day?

Some peace and quiet.

That’s it.

It’s that simple.

Have you ever watched one of those nature documentaries on mountain gorillas?  The dominant male (the silverback) is always trying to sit off by himself.  Oh, he’s keeping an eye on things, but he’s tired of listening to all of his female gorillas asking him to fix the nest, to find a new fruit patch to graze on, or to please be a good father and let all of the baby gorillas crawl all over him.  Just watch a silverback who’s away from his troupe – the serene look on his face says it all.  Five minutes of quiet bliss.  Heaven on earth – as they say. 

That’s what fathers want.  We Dads are just silverbacks – who happen to wear pants.

Give the man of the house some space this coming Sunday.  No big parties (God forbid), no grand outings, and no over-complicated dinner plans.  Let him take a long, uninterrupted nap.  Let him watch the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament in quiet repose, without being asked “now which guy is that?” or “I don’t understand how you can watch this” every ninety seconds.  Let him snack on something completely bad for him without giving him the stink-eye.   Let him alone with the sports page of the paper as he sips his morning coffee.  Let him gaze out at the yard from the front porch without telling him that the flower beds need new mulch, the shutters need painting, or the garden needs weeding. 

He already knows all of that.

Dad knows what needs to be done – and he’ll make sure it gets done.  He always does.

For one brief moment this coming Sunday, just let the man alone. 

It’s the greatest gift you can give him – guaranteed.