Benevolent, Fatherly
Padrísimo (adjective) (colloquial) (Mexico) a. great, awesome
Padre, Spanish for father, is one of many words within the magical lexicon of Mexican slang. It means cool. Great.
“¡Qué padre!” You might say when something is fantastic. Now, when you say padrísimo, it’s even better.
Everyone knows what we’re supposed to be doing in public these days. We’re supposed to maintain social distance. Six feet apart from strangers. We’re supposed to limit interactions with people outside of our families and pods. We’re also supposed to be wearing face coverings. Nose and mouth.
Picture this: An adorable family of four parks their car steps from the bay to start a morning walk. It’s a good time of day to get out and exercise—to breathe in some fresh air before other people arrive.
But this morning is different. The crowds are already out. Walks and workouts have begun.
With the stroller in place and the baby in it, and the toddler and mommy set to go, Daddy fits the description of a hands-on man. He sets their drinks in the stroller, tops the kids off with sun hats, and distributes their face masks.
What does Dad do?
A. Puts the thing on and goes about the day.
B. Ignores the need for a mask because he’s a man and men don’t need to worry about that kind of stuff.
If the plane is crashing, whose mask do we put on first? Our own. We cannot protect our loved ones until we protect ourselves.
A padrísimo dad choses the first option. Just do it. Show your kids that you’re responsible and that you care not only about yours and your family’s health, but the public’s health. Is that not the most benevolent, fatherly thing you can do?
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Photo by Vera Davidova on Unsplash