Posts Written By L Parker Brown

A Father’s Day Message for Real Fathers

Male parents don’t always get the attention on Father’s Day that mothers get on theirs. Nevertheless, many children, young and grown, who know and love their fathers acknowledge them with a card, a gift, a phone call or a visit. And those of us whose dads are no longer alive simply acknowledge them in pleasant memories.  

It used to be traditional for men to hand out cigars following the birth of  their baby, but considering today’s anti-smoking campaigns and the extenuating circumstances under which some children are born, I don’t think the celebratory cigar is handed out anymore. Still, expectant fathers eagerly anticipate their child’s birth and claim bragging rights. They take pride in showing off their newborn and anticipate the day when that smiling child looks up at him and says “Happy Father’s Day, daddy.”

Unfortunately, not all men who call themselves father earn that right.

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Putting A Different Spin on Paper or Plastic

Boomers, remember when you were a child and began receiving a weekly allowance? I don’t know about you, but my poor pals and I felt rich on allowance day when our parents dropped a few shiny coins — or, in my case, a thin dime — in the palm of our hand. I’m not mad about the ten cents, because for a child growing up in those Father Knows Best days a dime went a long way. I could buy 20 two-for-a-penny cookies (Oatmeal, thank you.) or an equal amount of Jawbreakers and Squirrel Nuts, or a Three Musketeers bar.

Allowances have increased. Today’s youngsters expect

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An Open Letter to President Obama

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Dear Mr. President,

I, like many of my friends, was disappointed to hear you publicly announce your support for gay marriage. This is not an anti-gay commentary and it may sound hackneyed when I say that I have gay friends, but I do. Perhaps it is because of those friendships that I better understand how homosexuals feel about entitlement, civil liberties and why gay partners want to marry to have the same rights afforded heterosexual married couples, but just as they have their opinion I have mine and I cannot in good conscience support same sex marriage. As much as I resist agreeing with Mitt Romney on anything, I share his belief that marriage is a union between a man and a woman.

The current issue of Newsweek magazine features you on the front cover with a rainbow halo above your head. Unlike many people I know, I do not believe that your “coming out” on the matter of gay marriage was sincere. I think it was

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