Talking about men is very difficult. Writing about them is even more. Though they say women are more complicated than men, being a woman myself I understand complex structures easier. I don’t understand why men don’t understand women but that’s not the topic today.

Talking of men, I have seen fathers never get bought anything. You know what I mean. Father’s Day came to be celebrated much later in time than Mother’s Day. Even in our daily lives, we hardly buy dads anything but the mothers usually get gifts on their birthdays, ironically sometimes only the mothers receive presents on their wedding anniversaries – taken for granted that the dads won’t mind. Actually it is true. The men who become fathers don’t mind when they are not acknowledged for all that they do. They are self-sufficient, it looks. My father and father in law have got their houses built with no support from ancestors. They bought everything they wanted for themselves and their families – education for children, vehicles, holidays, insurance policies, and medical facilities. They brought happiness to everyone at home.

My husband is a great big fan of Crocs after he got his first pair recently. So much so that he wears it to the office when there are no meetings, he wears it to the temple even when he knows they might get stolen where he leaves them at the temple gate, he basically wears them everywhere he goes. One day he bought two extra pairs of Crocs and when I asked who they were for, he said it was for his dad and uncle.  Not that his dad could not buy this pair but imagine his dad was so happy when he walked with them. His uncle who lives in Mysore was full of joy when he received his pair in a box. My husband told me that when he was little his uncle always bought him shoes when he stayed with his uncle’s family during his summer vacation. That’s when I realized; the men in our lives don’t need expensive gifts. They need our love that shows them we care. My husband’s gesture to send something so useful got me so much more respect for him. Love and respect the men in your lives!

P.S. I bought my dad a stainless steel water bottle today with the specifications he had been looking for – wide mouth, no straw, one litre capacity , with a personalized message “Stay Healthy Pops! Love You.”  I think he really liked it, as he carried it with him without removing the plastic on which the message was written.  Made my day!