57th: Fathers

In honor of Sean's newfound status of Father, we discuss some fictional fathers that resonate with us. Darth Vader is not a good father by any metric, but there is still a lot to learn from his story about the importance of fatherhood. After all, if losing his fatherhood status punctuated his fall to the dark side, gaining it back sparked his return to the light. Splinter, whether a reincarnated father to adopted father figure, is the mentor that the turtles need, and he teaches them to understand and respect each other's differences, as any good father should. Pa Kent and Jor El are both fathers to Superman, and both of them make him the hero that he is. Superman's two fathers also show us that families are made from deciding to be a family, even when that decision literally falls out of the sky. Danny Tanner and Homer Simpson round out the conversation. Yes, Full house and the Simpsons. Behind that sitcom character status are characters that demonstrate the attentiveness that fathers should provide to their children, and the perseverance and effort to be there for their children.