Dads do a lot for us, but at a young age their loving life lessons can often be mistaken for torment. On Saturdays, my dad used to wake my sister and I up at 8:00 am by starting a lawn mower outside of our bedroom windows. We knew we had 10 minutes to get out there and help him mow three lawns: our own, my grandparents', and that of a four family rental property my parents owned in New Bedford.
My dad, still learning life lessons from his own father |
This felt like cruel and unusual punishment, but looking back I realize it taught me at an early age about putting in a good days work. I didn't question it because I didn't want to hear, "When I was a kid, we couldn't even afford a lawn!" or "I didn't see my first lawn until I was well into my twenties and that one had grubs!" or "Be thankful, for cryin' out loud!" |
I hated it at the time, but I now look back with fond memories. Most of our friends spent those hours sleeping in, at the beach, or just doing those things that any human would rather be doing than mowing a lawn. But I now see it wasn't about free labor. It was more than that - It was about spending time together, instilling in us a good work ethic, and teaching us to have a sense of pride in our work. It made us appreciate sleeping in on Sunday when my parents only woke us up at 9:00 for church!
Today, thank your dad, because whether you recognize it or not, those crazy chores and absurd rules were just an intricate, discursive, maze-like, labyrinthine way of making you a better person. It's those lessons from my own father that guide the craftsmanship, care, and quality of our products at Margo Petitti.
So this Father's Day, "Be thankful, for cryin' out loud!" To help you show dad you understand and appreciate all of the hard work he taught you about, we are offering 30% off of our entire online store - even sale items - through Father's Day with code THANKSDAD!
With love,