The new Dockers San Francisco commercial cracks me up.
- I get that some guys need a pair of Dockers for work (Though I gave that up 16 years ago when my daughter was born. Rolling around on the floor with her in the morning, spit-up a constant threat, I adapted quickly to shorts and jeans.)
- I get that some guys need a pair of Dockers for golf (albeit, I’m not sure who. I happen to cycle and sail in my free time, and my neighbor who golfs always wears shorts to the links.)
- I get that some guys need a pair of Dockers for hitting the city at night (hey, in San Francisco where blue jeans are de rigueur, Dockers are practically a tuxedo.)
- But I don’t get needing a pair of Dockers for kite flying with your kid!
First off, with all due respect to Khaled Hosseini, exactly who flies kites anymore? For dazzling kite aerobatics, I’d head to Pier 39 and watch the experts. But even if my kids and I tried to get a kite aloft, we’d head to the local park in shorts and flip flops and make the best of a lazy day.
More importantly, our weekends are very un-Docker-like. Between watching my kids play soccer and lacrosse, I’m more likely to be:
- Kicking back in a beach chair, cheering the players on, reading Harper’s or US News or Mad Magazine between quarters.
- Playing tag with my daughter at halftime. btw - I take great pride in the fact that she couldn’t catch me today. (Don’t tell her I pulled a groin.)
- Eating at In-n-out – one of my son’s teammates has a standing bet with his dad that whenever he scores a hat-trick (three goals in one game), his dad will buy him a five-by-five after the game. (A reward so special, it’s not even on the In-in-out secret menu.)
If Dockers wants to find products to sell in the real-world, they might try fashionable headbands for boys. After all, my son’s hair is long like an Italian Serie A soccer star, and even with a lacrosse helmet he needs a headband so he can see the game.
For the record, I typed this blog post in a T-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops. Can someone make a commercial about that?
Gigi Buffon photo by Luca Martini, some rights reserved.
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May 4th, 2008
Posted in
Uncategorized, children, family, life, parenting |
6 comments
I already know what you’re thinking. How on earth can I write about dating four people at once when most single parents can’t find the time to date one person? I’m here to tell you, the roadblock isn’t time, it’s desire.
Easy for me to say, seeing as I’m dating zero women at the moment. But two summers ago when my kids were traveling with their mom for a month, giving me loads of free time, I did an experiment.
I gave up on my search for the ideal partner, and simply dated to have fun.
I met four women – two through friends, one a stranger I approached in day-to-day life, and one online (an online dating success that wasn’t sarcastic.) Each was different from the others – there were a couple of single moms, a couple of non-natives, a 20-something, two 30-somethings, a 40-something, a few highly educated, one of them not. (All looked cute and sexy in a summer dress.)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not polyamorous or a player, I wasn’t swapping bed partners each night. In fact, I only slept with one of them. I simply spent time planning and doing fun activities with whoever was available. Forget The Rules and The Game. I called whichever of them I was in the mood to see, whenever I liked, for whatever activity struck my fancy.
I’d call Bachelorette #1 (B-1, for short) on Thursday for a weekend hike. I’d call B-2 on Friday for drinks that night. I’d call B-3 for a bike ride any day of the week. I’d plan dinner with B-4 several days in advance. If they couldn’t meet, I found out when they could. And – this is key – as long as there weren’t conflicts, I always made myself available.
By not sleeping over, it was easy to keep things light, and we all could date non-exclusively. (It wasn’t sexless – B-2 and I fell into a booty call relationship where we slept with each other while we both looked for someone else to date long-term. We agreed we’d stop the booty part as soon as one of us got involved with someone. It worked great for a few months, and there were no hard feelings when things ended between us. I didn’t tell the other 3 bachelorettes about this arrangement. I figured there was no need, since I wasn’t sleeping with any of them.)
By dating four women, I always had something fun to do. On the rare occasion none of them was free, I didn’t stress about a lack of plans. I hung out with other friends, or enjoyed alone time, and tried again later.
With my kids gone and the time obstacle removed, I was able to focus frustration-free on desire. I didn’t ask, Who would make the best partner? I asked, Who did I want to spend time with now? The answer changed depending on the day, activity, mood.
When my kids came back, I kept dating the four women. I was less available, but by then they had gotten to know me and were willing to see me even if it took a few weeks to meet. To help things, I allowed myself to occasionally go out on custody nights, as long as I returned home at a reasonable hour.
How did it end? B-2 met a guy, and she and I stopped our liaisons. Soon after, I decided to get more serious with B-3, and we dated for a few months. First, I told B-1 and B-4 that I had met someone who I wanted to pursue a more serious relationship with. They understood, and B-1 is still a good friend.
To recap, here are the keys to dating four women at once:
- Keep things light and activity focused
- Don’t involve booty, unless one of them is your FWB
- Be open to a variety of new activities
- Make yourself available any day or night of the week
- Have the desire to date, relate, and have fun
Who knows, maybe the zero women I’m currently dating will turn into four sometime soon. It’s all about desire.
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April 29th, 2008
Posted in
Uncategorized, dating, hookups, internet dating, life, online dating, relationships, single dads, single moms, single parent concerns, single parents, single women |
19 comments
Will Smith, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt - they have looks, fame, fortune, and everything else People Magazine wants us to dream for a major film star. And each of them is a dad. But which of them is the Hottest Daddy Blogger?
Oops - last I checked, none of them has a blog! And that gives me a major leg up on them in the Bloggers Choice Awards competition for Hottest Daddy Blogger.
Now’s your chance to help launch my modeling/acting career. Just click, login, and click again to vote. My publicists (i.e. my son and daughter) will be thrilled.
Err, I’m on the right.
(And I suppose if I have to explain that, I should keep my day job and focus on the blogger part of the nomination… )
Will Smith photo, some rights reserved. Johnny Depp photo, some rights reserved. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com, some rights reserved. Raider Nation tailgate photo by my drunk-ass friends.
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April 28th, 2008
Posted in
Uncategorized, life, single dads |
10 comments
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