Father's Day approaching quickly and I was pondering about the silly things dads usually get. One of my sons a few years ago had a project workshop at his school where they got to make things for their family. I remember the morning he asked for money for his workshop.

"Dad, I need 20 dollars for school", he tells me. "Eh?! 20 smackers for what?", I replied. "I can't tell you, it's a surprise", he reassured me. Naturally I dig deeper into this conspiracy to extort money out of me for my own gift, and find it's a workshop where they get to buy items for their dads on fathers day. Somehow I felt like I was getting jipped for fathers day. So I give him 20 bucks, and hope I get some cool BBQ tools maybe as I head out to go shop for a new infrared BBQ I've had my eye on, ...my present to myself.

It's the thought that counts anyway right?

"Why not", I say. "Don't go and blow it all in one place", I say. Week later I get my fathers day gift and much to my surprise he's got neat little do-dads he made in school like key-chains, book-markers, etc that he made for his brothers and sisters and my wife got a "super mom" magnet for the refrigerator he made.

What did I get? He couldn't think of something to make me that I would like, as I have no use for refrigerator magnets or stupid key-chains made by my kid. I have enough crap on my keys to carry! Mom and him go shoping for dear old dad and he bought a pair of gloves.

"These damn stupid gloves!" I remember shouting to a co-worker. I retold the story to him and how my son obviously overheard me, I'm sure talking about how I needed to go-to REI to buy more climbing gloves. I use these leather cut offs for my job climbing communication towers, and my old ones are falling apart and pretty worn. So my son is thinking what a cool gift for dad right? And he buys these cheap mechanic type gloves for around $5.00 he found with my wife... It was the thought that counts.

Those gloves couldn't of BEEN more dangerous!

I was touched by his gesture and I remember putting them on for the first time, thinking to myself how I'm going to wear these silly things out and how they'll be destroyed in 1 week. One week TOPS if they're lucky to last THAT long!

I put on my harness, grab my hard hat, and start my ascent onto a tower we had to work on. I made it all of about 10 feet and quickly took them off and threw em off the tower to the ground below. I made the rest of my climb without gloves and I have no intention of picking them up off the dirt where I threw them.

"Holy Shit!", I yelled up at my partner. "These Damn Stupid Gloves!!! The material is slippery on this steel and I almost fell!" I explained to my partner how my son bought them for me for fathers day and it was a big deal to him and all. So naturally my co-worker laughs at me and reassures me...

...it's the thought that counts!

About a year later I am being nostalgic and relate this story to another co-worker as I'm wearing those same stupid gloves. Turns out they had a good use after-all! I started wearing em while doing steel work whenever I need to fabricate metal for the tower or antennas. All the cutting grinding and fabricating done for the job is now done using them as they protect my hand pretty well. My co-worker makes the comment about how my gloves were a good idea while I was doing some metal fabricating. So I pause with what I'm doing, and I relate to him the whole story to him. He tells me "it's the thought that counts!"

Here's the real deal. You see, my son asked me the day after he gave em to me how I liked em, and if they work well on the tower for climbing. I told him the truth. Yep... Dad's a prick! I tell it like it is and I don't pull any punches. "Dear old dad can't climb with these, they're to dangerous! Those damn things almost killed me! But I found a good use for em, I just can't climb with em and I got me some new ones", I tell him.

He understood very well, as he knows my job being the #1 most deadliest job in the world means I don't bullshit with my kid when it comes to safety. I explained how i used them for fabricating brackets, mounts, stiff-arms, and anything else. To this DAY, several years later my boy asks me every once in a while, "how your gloves working out dad!? Do you like em still?!"

I remind myself at times as I chuckle and half grin to his comment "it's the thought that counts."

I knew it meant a lot to him the day he gave em to me. I even risked my life trying to actually USE them knowing full well they were dangerous. I made it a point to FIND a use for em on that day I tried to climb with them. Every time I put those silly things on, I take a second and ponder over the whole deal. That damn kid! He had no idea how much those stupid gloves would mean to me. Neither did I for that matter. They've taken a lot of abuse over the years and are pretty worn now.

I related this story as it is nearing father's day and I tend to get nostalgic now. I even told it to a buddy of mine who became overwhelmed and actually had a tear in his eye. For anyone in this industry that was taboo. We're rough necks, not cry babies. Wtf is wrong with this guy I thought?

Turns out he felt remorseful for all the stupid damned things his own son had brought home for him from school. Admittedly we've all thrown out silly things our kids have made for us once or twice. He was overwhelmed and started to relate to me how his son and him don't get along very well these days. He remembers a lotta things he has no longer kept from the days his son was younger and wished he had kept them all.

Right then and there I made my decision I'm going to frame these damned things. I'm hanging them on the wall and I'll never lose them. I've taken them out of my work truck now and placed them into retirement in a nice safe place for now. They're going with me to my grave and I'll always remind my son how much those damned gloves meant to me.

Those STUPID.... damned..... gloves!