At the risk of sounding like a syrupy Hallmark card, my children are my greatest sources of pride as well as inspiration. Sure, there were times they made me scratch my head, like when one of them decided to hurl small stones off a building (while supposedly at religious services) onto the car below to the tune of about $1,800. Or like the fourth, no make that fifth time one of them called to say her credit cards had been lost or stolen. But even those times have evolved into fodder for cocktail parties.
So if I was picking any award that I could possibly win, I think I would be the most gratified to earn Parent the Year. And so would about 1 in 5 Americans, especially those with kids under 18, moms and baby boomers.
Sure, it would a thrill to win Most Valuable Player in a professional sporting event or to earn a Worlds Series of Poker bracelet, but for me it’s Father of the Year above all else.
For about 8 in 10 other Americans (who perhaps don’t have kids or don’t need the parenting accolades), it’s something else:
What’s most interesting to note is that one single honor doesn’t command the respect and attention of the entire (or even a majority of the) American public. Our interests run the gamut from sports to science to singing to sex appeal.
Which award would you choose and why?
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