Father’s Day: This is What I Want. Really.

Father’s day is coming up, and though I wish it weren’t an obligatory gift giving occasion, I know my family is going to get me something. I’m also pretty sure they won’t get me what I want, because they’ll think they shouldn’t. In the same way that giving mom exercise equipment is ill-advised, so is giving Dad something that adds to his workload around the house. So I’m writing this to set the record straight.  I want to work around the house, and to do it right, I need a gun.

By which I mean, a good foam gun. And I’d like some good foam to go with it, for tackling air leaks around the house. This is really what I want. Which makes me realize that I am more like my grandfather than I’d thought. He was forever digging into house projects - at his own house, my parents’ house - or any house he visited. It made him happy to be busy and constructive, to use his hands. As a kid, it wasn’t clear to me why, and I grudgingly ran to the basement to fetch him a screwdriver or wrench, then back down to get the other size. I understand him better now.

The right tools make a huge difference in how a project gets done, and how it feels to do it. Often, the right tools are the difference between doing a job quickly and well and re-doing it over a long frustrating period of time. So, yes. I believe a good foam gun and good foam are a great gift. It’s gratifying to do something right the first time. It’s a treat.

One point of clarification - while I am deliberately lifting the taboo on tools for Dad,  I’m not suggesting that buying your wife an ab-cruncher for Mother’s Day is a good idea. As for Dads? Buy us foam guns. We can take it.