Give those dads in your life a little extra love this Father’s Day. The past few months have been particularly challenging, and I’ve talked to enough dads to know that I’m not the only one feeling it all: (A too-long thread that I’ll probably delete)/

Trying to provide for their family in chaos and uncertainty. Worrying about finances and economic collapse and small businesses they love and whether they will ever be able to retire or if that RESP is now worthless or if they’ll ever be able to afford a good steak again.

Trying to teach long division and the water cycle and French verb conjugations while negotiating deals and discussing force majeure over Zoom, and wondering how they will ever get back to full productivity (or even back to work at all) if schools don’t open in September.

Trying to keep their family healthy and well fed when every trip to the grocery store felt like a post-apocalyptic kamikaze mission and they ran out of new ideas 5 weekly meal plans ago.

Trying to keep a house clean and well maintained when it’s being lived in and used and abused far more than ever before or ever intended. And the endless dishes. Don’t even get me started on all the extra dishes.

Trying to crack terrible dad jokes and puns just to get a smile (or at least a groan), even when things feel cold and gloomy.

Trying to keep things feeling as normal as possible all while fitting their kids for face masks, but the cutesy fabric they managed to snag (Harry Potter! Popsicles! S’mores!) doesn’t hide the absurdity and scariness of needing them in the first place.

Trying to remain calm and present when the line between work and home become a blurry mess. Trying to remember that it’s opposing counsel they’re mad at, not the 7 year old who just wants more milk on her Mini Wheats.

Trying to learn how to trim bangs from YouTube videos, and using big hugs and ice cream to comfort a sad child who now has terrible bangs.

Trying to figure out how to keep the kids occupied and engaged and fulfilled and growing during the summer when all the normal activities and plans are cancelled, and scrambling to book the scarce limited camps at 7:00 a.m. over coffee and Swedish Berries.

Trying to be the rock and keeping everything running as normal as possible in the most abnormal of times.

So show some love for all those dads who are doing their best keeping on keeping on, even when they feel like they’re failing. Because even when things are hard- and maybe even especially when things are hard- #DadsRock.