Grown Man Moves

Even though “The Dad Bod” sounds more like a fitness podcast, I’ve come to realize recently that the subconscious reason why I landed on “The Dad Bod” as the show’s name was a hidden sadness in me with the way that the pop culture term “dad bod” diminishes modern fatherhood to a mere punchline about middle-aged paunch, satisfied to trace a silhouette rather than traverse the soul of this incredibly meaningful moment in life. Based on my own experience and witnessing the dads around me, the show’s motivation is to redefine this term, one dad’s story at a time, and by doing so, to help point toward truth and beauty. 

I mention all this because this month’s dad exemplifies this deeper definition of a dad bod: my friend and fellow dad Chad. With an understated demeanor, Chad blends anonymously into the crowd and yet you all know him: he’s the school health teacher and athletic director; he’s the proud owner of a minivan who used to dream of driving a sports car, the husband who holds communication as the key to marriage; he’s the flag football coach who puts the Jimmies and Joes above the X’s and O’s; and he’s the reason why your kid comes home from school one day standing a little straighter and announcing at the dinner table that he’s trying out for the basketball team. As for his dad bod, well, it’s 40 years old and fitter than ever, chiseled by a determination to be there for his family for the long haul. As Mark Jackson likes to say, "That's a grown man move.