-- — Today is Father’s Day, the time when everyone should honor the men who raised them. Not everyone has a father in the home, and often it’s a grandfather, uncle, brother or other mentor who stepped into the role, but the importance of a strong male presence in the household cannot be understated.

For those fortunate enough to still have their fathers, be sure to connect with them today, whether it’s a long distance phone call, Skype, dinner or a day of togetherness. Often, fathers just want to spend time with their children and grandchildren, and the activity isn’t nearly as important as the time together.

My father was a WWII vet, so he started his family later in life. As the youngest of six, I had the least amount of time with him, as he passed away 27 years ago at the age of 65. Lots of fond memories of time spent with him, especially in his last years, will occupy my thoughts today, but there are several who I will reach out to who have played a mentoring, father-like role since his passing.

It’s odd how the portrayal of fathers in the media has changed over the years, and one wonders if that is a reflection or cause of the high absenteeism of fathers in the home today. Growing up, I saw shows like My Three Sons, the Brady Bunch, Leave it to Beaver, Dick van Dyke, and the Cosby Show, all of which portrayed strong men as strong fathers. Even for my daughter, she had Seventh Heaven with a very strong father portrayed, but shows like the Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, etc. all portray fathers who are bumbling, stupid, drunk, or absent. No wonder today’s young men don’t understand what being a strong father is all about.

Although there are plenty of men who are great fathers today, who are great father figures to others, and who spend time with their children teaching and mentoring, there are far too many who aren’t. Think about the kind of mothers and fathers your children will one day be, and remember that your influence is crucial to their future parenting.

If you are a father, also remember that while today is all about you, the rest of the year is about your children. Put them first, and you’ll be amazed at how rewarding your relationship can be.

Happy Father’s Day!



Business Roundup

As you can see from the photo, the folks working on the new Kirkland’s location are getting it ready for a grand opening in the coming weeks. And since I’ve gotten this question quite a bit, Kirklands was not here several years ago, but an affiliate, the Briar Patch, was in the mall for a number of years before it closed a few years back.

The Adel Catfish House has recently reopened, and it’s now Carter’s Catfish House. The family also owns Carter’s Fried Chicken in Adel. The Catfish House is open Thursday through Saturday.

It looks like someone has reopened Rascal’s on Highway 41 South toward Lake Park but not sure what the new hours are going to be yet.

When the new Dollar General is built on the corner of Baytree Road and Lankford Drive, BoardWalk will move across the street into the strip center behind Slap Daddys, but I’ve not heard about the smoothie place yet.

There is a new California Tans next to Lee’s Bookstore in the strip center down the street on Baytree.

In Hahira, the new owner of Hahira Fitness Studio on W. Main St. will hold the grand opening on July 4. The studio will focus on group fitness classes such as Zumba.

While Kay Jewelers is undergoing renovations in the mall, they’ve moved temporarily to a store at the main entrance by the food court.

A new store is now open on N. Ashley St. called McKinney Pet Supplies. It’s next to the pet store there by Park Ave. Also near there at Ashley and Park is the new Ashley Street Station, which had its grand opening yesterday.

The Drury Inn is coming along well behind the Olive Garden and I understand they will be announcing another restaurant for that area in the next week or two.

I’ve had a number of readers question me about the new Publix on Inner Perimeter Road and why it looks like they’ve stopped working on the site. I checked it out too and haven’t seen any workers at all for some time, even before all the rain in the last couple of weeks. If someone knows, please pass it on to me.

Norman Drive is really taking shape and there’s always more waiting in the wings, so it’s a good time for Valdosta right now.

That’s all I have for this week, but if there’s something I missed, please let me know!