With Father’s Day around the corner, this month we’ve reached out a few dads to share their insights and perspectives. We spoke with Mike, a 34 year old first-time father living in Brooklyn, NY. Mike blogs about fatherhood at www.dadandburied.com. Here are his responses to a few questions about his shopping habits, brand alliances and his recent foray into fatherhood.
What kind of shopper do you consider yourself to be?
First and foremost, I’m a shopper of convenience. I don’t like shopping and I don’t like planning and HATE planning my shopping. So I usually wing it. orlistat or alli Once I find a brand/product I like, I stick with it, until my wife tells me what I should be buying instead, and then I buy that. I have no pride when it comes to being a shopper; tell me what to get and I’ll get it, so long as I’m done with the whole experience yesterday.
What do you look for in the brands you use?
Value and reliability. I also like those jeans that already have rips in them, because I’m in my mid 30s and I no longer do things that cause my jeans to rip, but I like to convince people that I still do those kinds of things. Sadly, though, despite the fact that I buy those jeans for that reason, I remain starkly aware of the fact that everyone, including myself, knows that anyone who buys pre-ripped jeans is the EXACT OPPOSITE of the kind of person who does things that cause their jeans to rip. And yet I continue to buy them. It’s a circle of denial and aspiration that I can’t escape. I also like Apple products.
What item that you have purchased best represents your personality?
I can’t say ripped jeans here, both because I’ve already said it and also because if I revisit the paradox of what buying ripped jeans means about me, I’ll start crying again. So instead I’ll say it’s the cans of Sixpoint Brewing’s Bengali Tiger that just landed in my fridge. Because I like beer, and even though it’s only a four-pack, and an expensive one, I am loyal to the Sixpoint brand and when I’m loyal to a brand, and that brand delivers, price is not an issue.
What makes you a good dad?
My total lack of shame. I entered into fatherhood with the same mixture of fear, anxiety and insecurity as everyone else. I also wanted to be sure I was a ‘cool’? dad, and not just in an ‘I wear ripped jeans that may or may not be pre-ripped’? way, but in a ‘being a dad is not going to change me’? kind of way. I quickly realized that being a dad was absolutely going to change me, in fact it already had, because suddenly I didn’t care about that anymore. These days, when it comes to my kid, I have absolutely no qualms about being an idiot in public. I have no issues changing diapers, no worries about wiping slimy food or snot or drool off his filthy face, and I have absolutely no inhibitions when it comes trying to make my son laugh. I will do anything to make that happen, mostly because when he’s laughing, he’s not crying. Please, God, stop crying.
What advice would you give to a new dad or a soon-to-be new dad?
Relax. Before you have a kid, the prospect of being responsible for a child is terrifying. Once you actually have the kid, it very quickly becomes your life, and you just simply have to live it, one day at a time. The most pleasant surprise for me has been that even the stuff I expected to suck ‘ even the stuff I KNEW definitely would suck ‘ isn’t so bad after all. Not compared to the good stuff, which is pretty great.
If you had a million dollars, what would you buy?!
A house. And an iPad. I can’t believe I don’t have an iPad yet. Not having a house I can believe; not having an iPad makes me a little nauseous. But Father’s Day is coming up…
What is the most important thing you’ve ever done in your life?
Had a kid. Sad but true.
It’s all downhill from here. Even if I have another kid, it will take years before I know which one will be more ‘important’? in the grand scheme of things. At least right now there’s no competition; the one kid I have is the most important one. I haven’t done much else that stands up against him. I mean, I was also on the local news once, but no one watched. So I’ll stick with the kid thing.
