Mid-Life Moms: Up Your Game On Father’s Day

What does your husband really want for Father’s Day? For many mid-life Moms, your kids are out of the house and it’s completely up to you to plan.

When you contemplate all the things he does for you and your family, the list is long.  Because of that, you want to show him some love and appreciation on his special day.  Turns out that is pretty easy to do. He doesn’t ask for much. 

  According to a 2019 survey of 2,000 Fathers, Dad’s wants are pretty simple. 

Dad’s say skip the World’s Greatest Dad coffee mug. He really wants this for Father’s Day instead:

• Five out of ten Dads want a phone call from his kids
• One in three Dads want to watch whatever they want on TV
• Four in ten are craving a juicy steak (and six out of ten think they are the best cooks so they’ll grill it themselves)
• Four in ten would love to go to a ball game (that’s out for 2020)
• A whooping eight out of ten Dads want to “bond with their kids” over food (aka family barbecue)

What does this mean?  The best Father’s Day ever is a family get together with Dad grilling juicy steaks and everyone sitting down together talking, listening and laughing.

Up your game and give your husband what he really wants for Father’s Day

1.     Plan a family dinner and barbecue

Decorate the table, play some bean bag toss and fire up the barbecue. Dad will even do the grilling.  If all the kids can’t join or you are on “stay-at-home” orders,  your family can still connect with Dad.  Put his phone on a stand and Face-time or Zoom in the backyard.  

2.    Leave him alone with his remote or whatever he wants to do that day to bring peace and quiet

Sometimes guys want to chill out and watch tv.  If he wants to watch fishing shows, sports or a random show about people living off the land in Alaska, hand him the remote with a smile.  It’s his day, he can do whatever he wants. 

As you would for his Super bowl party, make him snacks to enjoy while he’s relaxing. He’ll appreciate it. 

3.    Stock the ice chest

If he is a drinker, stock the fridge with his favorite high end beer. If not, have his favorite non- alcoholic signature drink set up to enjoy his day.  Provide a station to make it special as you would for a dinner party such putting the beer mugs in the freezer so they are cool and frosty, setting up the best glassware and an ice bucket for his cocktail.

 

4.    Make his favorite dessert  

Bake a cake for the guy or some fresh baked hot from the oven chocolate chip cookies. In my household, I’ve been perfecting a Kentucky Bourbon Butter Bundt cake.  My husband asks me to bake one all the time now. This cake is on the menu for Father’s Day. 

5.     At the close of day, bring out a list of all he does for your family

Write down all the things you appreciate about your husband and what he does for the family.  From making sure we never drive on worn tires, emptying the trash every day, and his work and career, the list is long. Put pen to paper and give him the list in a card. 

He may shrug it off but you never know, he may secretly pull it out later and read it (over and over again.) Years later, you may find the list in his wallet.

Simple pleasures are what he is all about. 

Have a Happy Father’s Day.