Trares
Father’s Day may be this Sunday.
But last weekend, I got a reminder about why being a dad is so important to me.
It was a “boys weekend.” My wife had made plans to visit a friend in Chicago, so all day Saturday was set aside just for Anthony and I to have fun. I threw out the question — what should we do?
Anthony thought about it for about a second, then tentatively asked, “Well, what are the options?” Smart kid, not limiting his options until he knew everything that was available. I went down the line of potential activities: going swimming, playing in the park, finding a place to go bowling.
After a beat, I presented one other option, one I knew he’d jump at. “Or, we could go to the zoo?” There wasn’t even a hesitation before he readily and enthusiastically agreed. Anthony has always loved animals, so much that we asked for a family membership to the Indianapolis Zoo for Christmas to best take advantage of his interest.
And Anthony had been asking for a zoo trip since I told him about the new chimpanzee exhibit, which opened on Memorial Day. All week, he had been drawing apes and getting ready for our visit.
When Saturday rolled around, we got up early, ate a big breakfast, saw my wife off on her trip and hit the road. Anthony was all decked out for the day: a t-shirt with a red panda, a tiger-striped hat and a shark-tooth necklace. He could barely contain himself.
Once we reached the zoo, it was a whirlwind of activity. Anthony had plotted our entire day. First, seeing penguins, seals, sharks and more underwater wonders in the ocean area. Then, straight over to the kid-sized rollercoaster to ride. We hit all the different habitats — plains, deserts, forests. There was face painting (Anthony chose a cool polar bear) and ice cream.
By the time we half-walked, half-staggered back to our car, we were hungry and tired, but so happy.
The whole experience reminded me of the joy that came when I was a kid and my own father would take me on different adventures. We’d ride bikes down to the Maumee River and wade across the shallows to mysterious islands that seemed like foreign countries to me.
Sometimes, we’d go hiking in the park, or fly a kit, or see a baseball game. A lot of times, it was just an opportunity to play catch in the front yard.
It didn’t matter what we did; the excitement stemmed from getting to be with someone I looked up to as a hero — my dad.
I want Anthony to feel the same way. Sure, the zoo trip was fun, but I want him to feel the same way about taking a dip in the pool or sneaking away for an hour on the playground.
Quality time with him is the best gift I could ever get. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
