The Napkin Dad

I think the best dad award goes to…

Napkin dad

Here is a little excerpt from his blog on how the whole thing started.

“The Napkin Dad Daily began as a series of drawings and quotes on napkins that I put in my daughters’ lunches during their middle and high school years, most every day from 1998 -2004.

I started doing the napkins while I was unemployed and making their lunches for school. I did 3 a day, one for each daughter. After many months I felt sort of depressed because, as funny as it sounds, it was the my main creative outlet, the only artwork I was doing at the time, and they were all being thrown away every day. ‘Oh well’ I said, and went about doing them until the end of the year.

My wife at the time was not happy in the marriage (we later divorced) and took the girls to California to visit her family in the summer, and I was not invited. I was home alone on Father’s day when the girls called to tell me they had hid their presents for me around the house. I walked around the house following their hints and found my oldest’s and my youngest’s presents.

My middle daughter directed me to a bottom drawer somewhere and there I found a napkin she had drawn for me …

and below it…there were all the napkins from the entire year! She had saved every one and given them back to me for Father’s Day. It truly was the best present I ever got, I cried when I found them. She really didn’t, and couldn’t, understand how much it meant to me to have her do that, and to have them still in existence. I continued to draw the napkins for 4 more years, almost every day, until my youngest graduated from High School.

In 2005 I started scanning them little by little and posting them to my flickr.com site, which I had set up for my photographic work but had been posting drawings to as well. The napkins got a great response and I started to consider ways I could get them out to a larger audience. In 2008 I started the blog you see here, the Napkin Dad Daily, and started posting a napkin a day. Eventually I added commentary below some of the napkins, in response to conversations that were going on in the comments, or on flickr.”

I have to say,  This is probably the sweetest story I have ever read.   I didn’t have the best father growing up.

I have a little soft spot for great dads

So many times we get into the rush of life and do not make time to do little things like this for the people we love.  Sometimes a simple note or a “napkin drawing” can make a huge impact.  I remember my mom leaving me notes in my lunch box.  I loved it.  And I really wish I would have saved them.  I think we need to slow down a bit and do the little things like this for our kids or people we love.  My challenge for my self and for others to join me if you would like is to do one nice thing like this daily for someone YOU love.

So Napkin dad I really applaud you for doing this for your girls and being such an awesome dad.  This is something that they will always remember and hopefully pass on to their kids some day.

The Napkin Dad Daily, is in the running in the ‘Most Inspiring’ category People can vote on it until July 12th.

Please take a second and Vote here!!

www.napkindad.com/