Lowering of Father's Day bar sees record number of World Best Dads

Gotta be pleased with that. Maybe I’ll get a mug.

Flicking through Facebook, however, it would seem there’s been an issue with this year’s Best Dad count.

Saw one of my friends had been crowned the World’s Best Dad in a post by his proud daughter. I was about to send him a congratulatory text and an invite to an interview for a potential story on what attributes set him apart from the planet's other 70 million dads when I noticed he was not alone.

Scrolling through social media I uncovered a series of unverified World Best Dad claims. I stopped counting at a dozen best dad winners and among those, there were seven world’s best dads and even a best dad ever!

Come on! Really? Like Highlander, there can be only one.

While every ‘winning’ father pictured looked happy, I find it hard to believe they didn’t know something was up. I mean, no press, no TV, no bumper six figure winner’s cheque. Surely, I thought, the penny would have dropped on seeing their prize for being World’s Best Dad … a pair of socks, a four-pack of Theakston’s Old Peculiar and a 100ml bottle of Hai Karate aftershave! Does that sound like a fitting reward for the world’s greatest living dad?

Thankfully, there were no misunderstandings at this end. Son Two, our Isaac, 18, is currently gallivanting around the fleshpots of Malia on the Greek island of Crete. His brief acknowledgement of the man who played such a critical role in his upbringing landed at 4.10am. ‘Happy Father’s Day Jurgen.’ Then radio silence. Given this is his first lads holiday, I was grateful I even figured in his thinking.

Son Number One at least gave his greeting a personal touch. He rang me. And in the morning too. Such an honour. As a student, he doesn’t do mornings. That said, the call came in at 11.58am.

A quick ‘happy Father’s Day dad’ followed by a lengthy discussion of possible signings for the season ahead before he dipped out to flip burgers (his lucrative job for the summer holidays). About 20 minutes after the call he sent a text. ‘Buy yourself some socks or a pint as a Father’s Day gift.’

‘That’s good of you!’, I said. ‘Buy my own Father’s Day gift?’

‘Well,’ he replied. ‘It’s the thought that counts…’

Do they do a Son’s Day? If so, my two will be hoping the bar is set as low as that for the honour of World’s Best Dad if they’re to get higher than 346th…