Somewhere, right now, a dad is watching KPop Demon Hunters for the 34th time. It’s not what he pictured when he decided to have kids, but that doesn’t make the moment any less golden. Because showing up for their kids is what dads do in 2026, no matter where it takes us. You see them on the sidelines, you see them in the classrooms, you see them smushed into a tiny car on The Great Pumpkin Rollercoaster at Kings Island.
There is no fanfare around Father’s Day. Mother’s Day is a season. Father’s Day is an hour. It’s a knowing nod, the sweet exhale while looking at a perfectly mowed lawn. Nowhere is the juxtaposition more on display than in a kindergarten classroom. Kids spend the last full month of school working on their Mother’s Day present. It’s their equivalent of a term paper or capstone project. Mother’s Day gifts are works of art created by a 6-year-old and her 27-year-old assistant.
Father’s Day hits on summer break, so all we get is a card picked out by mom, usually about farts or being in the bathroom too long. And that’s OK. No recognition is expected or required, because to us, the journey is the destination.
The new job description for Dad
Shoutout to the dad coaching his kid in a sport he barely played. himself, staying one lesson ahead of the team in his education. A salute to the dance dads and gymnastics dads, who took a whole 90 minutes inside a sport before they formed strong and long-lasting opinions about judges and their scoring.
Shoutout to the travel sports dads, who are stuck living the “in-app purchases” experience of youth sports. Our dads were aghast at the idea of a participation trophy. Meanwhile, we spend our vacation time going to an office park in Tennessee for a tournament that could’ve been played 30 minutes from home. “ Travel sports” were words that didn’t go together a generation ago; now, kids have more Marriott Bonvoy points than a 1990s salesman.
Shoutout to the dads doing hair and the dads chaperoning field trips. The dads who read graphic novels about dragons because that’s what their kids are into. The dads who pour everything they have into making sure their kids are happy, healthy and fulfilled.
And maybe you had a dad like that growing up. I know I did. But statistically, a lot of people didn’t. According to the Pew Research Center, dads do more than triple the amount of childcare and housework than they did a generation ago. There’s a reason so many millennials have stories about spending weekends unsupervised in the woods with friends, living a Lord of the Flies existence. Those same people now spend their weekends Uber-ing their 10-year-olds to four activities and a sleepover. Dads in 2026 show up for their kids, even when we have no idea where we’re going.
Wherever they lead, we go
I’m feeling this acutely this month. As a stand-up comedian, I’m used to working in comedy clubs. Yet, on June 26, I’ll be doing the first stand-up show at Newport Aquarium, benefitting the WAVE Foundation. Why? Because it’s my 13-year-old daughter’s favorite nonprofit.
She saw her passion for conservation and to make a difference flourish in the WAVE Foundation’s Gills Club. I have no special affinity for marine life, and until now, most of my thoughts surrounding the ocean have been what I’m going to drink while staring at it one week a year. Over the years, I’ve shared stages with Dave Chappelle, Jim Gaffigan and Nate Bargatze. But on June 26, I’ll be sharing it with a penguin, telling jokes at Newport Aquarium, because we show up for our kids.
And there is no place we would rather be.
Mark Chalifoux is a nationally touring stand-up comedian based in Cincinnati. His most recent special was produced by Nate Bargatze and on June 26, he’s telling jokes at an aquarium, because he is a dad.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Fatherhood isn’t about thanks. It’s about showing up | Opinion
Reporting by Mark Chalifoux, Opinion contributor / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Chalifoux, Opinion contributor | USA TODAY Network
