Dads

by Jon Cotner and Claire Hamilton

Ong

“Memorable moments. Where do I begin?”

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we asked 20 moms to describe memorable moments of their motherhood. Now it’s time for the dads.

Steve & Elena

“My daughter and I sit in this park. We found some Ramona books at the flea market. I take her to school each morning, too.”

John & Audrey

“It’s fun playing pop music. Audrey is a wild dancer.”

Frankie

“I bought my granddaughter an electric guitar when she was 14.”

David & Koko

“Last month my kids graduated: the younger from high school, the older from college. These years of standing behind them mean something.”

Dennis & Ruby

“Not yelling as much as my dad. Doing it differently from how I was raised — a bit rough, frankly.”

Glenn

“For my girl’s second birthday we held a party. She fell asleep, so everyone went upstairs. An hour later we heard little footsteps. Lori appeared with the cake in her arms. But all that remained was a cupcake-sized cake; our hall was covered with crumbs.”

Yoni & Theo

“Theo’s favorite book is Freight Train. The first time I read it I imitated how freight trains would sound if they could speak. Theo laughed and made his own gravelly voice. We have the same sense of humor.”

Jay & Max

“Last week Max’s doctor asked him how he generally feels on a scale of 1–10, and he said 7. Then the doctor asked if he ever feels like a 10. He said: ‘When lying in bed with dad.’”

Jared & Eliza

“She locks eyes with me as I feed her.”

Mitro & Free

Mitro: “It’s great to have life be less about me, me, me.”

Free: “I take orders from a two-year-old.”

Mike

“Each Disneyland ride has its own gift shop now. I told my son he could choose three toys per day — 20 for the week. That worked until Winnie the Pooh’s shop. As I stood in line he kept bringing armfuls of toys. I asked him to put them back. He said: ‘Daddy, you’re not my friend.’”

Dave, Chauncey & Spencer

“The birds talk to me. If I’m sad, for example, they’ll say ‘How are you doing?’ or ‘Let’s go to the park.’ Chauncey is 16 and knows hundreds of words.”

Scott & Eli

“Eli does Tae Kwon Do. He won a trophy for his form.”

Nick

“One afternoon my son, two at the time, kept grabbing himself. My wife asked if he needed to go to the bathroom. He said no. But she took him to the men’s room and lifted him to the urinal. Nothing happened; she said push harder. He pooped on her foot.”

Dey

“My family lives in India. I return whenever possible.”

Wilber, Zavion & Zayla

“When I was young, my mom and dad died. These kids remind me of them. They’ve come back.”

Jeff & Willow

“Today Willow flew her first kite.”

Leblanc

“On Sundays I cook eggs for my kid. Good bacon. Butter toast.”

Jon Cotner and Claire Hamilton have made other slideshows based on nicknames and wishes. Jon is coauthor of Ten Walks/Two Talks. Stay in touch with them here.