Hiding out

I'm thankful my children don't see much of social media. All weekend long, all over Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, folks are paying homage to their dads and to the dads of their children.

As it should be.

But it's still too much for almost-9-year-old Katie.

I gave her and Cooper a choice about how to spend today. They agreed that they wanted to skip church -- too big of a potential trigger for tears. And, while we certainly embrace our emotions around here, we've learned when it's best to just avoid the scene altogether.

I'll read some Harry Potter out loud. Cooper has a Boy Scout meeting. We plan to grocery shop and prepare ratatouille together. (We watched the Pixar film Ratatouille again last night.) We might go to the neighborhood pool. (Though we've logged a lot of hours there already this week -- we'll be OK taking a break.)

One day, when they're much older, I'll share with them this letter, the one I wrote last Father's Day.

For now, though, we're hiding out. I know denial isn't healthy in general, but one day a year, it's exactly what my children need.

Steve, Katie and Cooper at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, May 2006