A Man's A Man For A' That

As Father's Day approaches, I have to both laugh and shudder at the wares on offer in the shops plied as "appropriate" gifts for that special dad. First off, we don't do Father's Day in our house. Or Mother's Day. One of the few pieces of wisdom imparted to me by my mother that I took on board was that there shouldn't be just one day a year where you were good to your mum or dad - every day should be a special day. And that has continued with my own family - our Vee loves us and we love her. We don't need cards or gifts to tell us that. On that subject, it is the gifts available that irk me. There are racks and racks of football or motoring themed mugs and other accessories, books by Jeremy Clarkson or one of the other buffoons from "Top Gear" and decorated pint glasses. If Vee was ever of a mind to buy a present for Gee, nothing from these shelves would be of any use. You see, one of the things I have always found most attractive about my Gee is that he has never fallen into this stereotyped ideal. He hates football with a passion and all sport for that matter. When we still had the TV, he might have watched the odd rugby match but now he doesn't bother. He has no interest in cars nor the outpourings of Clarkson and his ilk. OK, he has a motorbike but that's how he gets about - he isn't into sports bikes or racing or, as he calls them, "Harvey Donaldsons" and "fanny bikes" - he prides himself on having a beat up but serviceable "rat bike". He seldom drinks and when he does, he prefers a real ale or navy rum to the chemical soups that pass for lagers. He doesn't want to read books by Andy McNab, Chris Ryan or Ross Kemp. He does enjoy books on military history though but he knows what he likes and picks his own from the library. He will play games on the XBox 360 but they tend to be ones like Assassins Creed or Halo as opposed to Gears of War. He loves to work with wood - carving, making boxes or crafting furniture - but again he knows what he needs. I have only ever once bought him tools - one Xmas I braved the confines of Bill's Tool Store in the Barras to buy him a draw knife. It was like stepping into one of those Victorian gentlemen's clubs - I have never felt less welcome anywhere! I made my purchase and left swiftly. It was the same when I was growing up. My dad wasn't really sporty either - if anything it was my mum who followed football, boxing and snooker. He was more into music, sci-fi and tinkering with electronics. I know lots of men who likewise don't fall into these narrow stereotypes that the media and business try to impose on them. My mate Dougie is into martial arts as a participant but he also likes reading fantasy novels. My other pal Anthony likes playing the flute and piccolo and poetry. This doesn't make them any less "men". And what makes a man a good father isn't his passions for sport or drinking or not. What makes him a good father is his love for his children. And you can't buy that in a supermarket. Again as Rabbie said "The man o' independent mind. He looks an' laughs at a' that." x