As I was attempting to contrive another journalistic masterpiece for this space, I received a text from one of our kids, which was a Facebook post from nine years ago offering our trampoline to anyone willing to haul it away. This derailed my train of thought — not a difficult task — and sent me on a detour from the topic of Father’s Day and on a trip down memory lane.
The trampoline was somewhat of an impulse buy in that we were at a grade school fundraiser, it was a silent auction item, and somehow we got into a bidding war for it. As luck would have it, we “won” it (my wife’s phraseology), and now we were the proud owners of a liability that we had to add to our homeowners policy.
Turned out, this was one of the best investments we ever made. The untold hours of bouncing were priceless and helped develop the boys’ eye-hand coordination through a game they contrived, trampoline catch, which required a person — aka mom or dad — to throw a ball of some sort toward a bouncing child, who would then jump or dive to catch it.
As I look back, this was some of the best time I spent with the boys, before cellphones and other distractions would interfere with the “Dad time.” For any dads out there, take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves no matter how challenging they may be.
The reason I touch on this is that Father’s Day is this month, a day ostensibly intended to honor all of the dads for what they do. Hopefully, they do the right things: spend time with their kids, play a little catch, teach them right from wrong and that what is important is not always winning at all costs. That sometimes it’s not the end result, but the journey that really counts.
The coach of one of our younger son’s teams, the Bears, had a little cheer that the team did at the end of every game. It’s a little odd, admittedly, but it certainly caught the attention of the other teams. It’s not mean or unsportsmanlike, and it ultimately ties in with this rambling dissertation. The chant is as follows: “Who are we? The Bears! What do men do? Play baseball! What else do men do? Cook meat!”
As a responsible dad, I fulfilled my duty to teach my kids how to cook meat, as well as many other items. I hope they are using this knowledge to enhance their lives now and when they become dads. In the meantime, here’s a recipe that you can teach your kid (or not) and enjoy for Father’s Day.
Marinade ingredients 
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- 2 Tbsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
- 3 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- Zest of 1 lime
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
Glaze ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Thai sweet chili
sauce (e.g., Mae Ploy) - 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh Thai basil
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
Kabob ingredients
- 3 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Pineapple, peaches, and/or mangos, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Red onion, cut in wedges or cubes
Directions 
- Marinate pork in a nonreactive bowl or ziplock bag for at least 1 hour to overnight.
- Assemble the kabobs on skewers — preferably flat, stainless-steel ones that will help to keep the items from spinning when turned — alternating the pork chunks with the fruit and onion cubes.
- Grill until the pork reaches 145 degrees, which will result in moist, medium-rare meat.
- Brush with glaze during the last 5 minutes of grilling
