You’ve got to love dads. They can be so many things. He might be the one who teaches you how to fish or keep score at a ballgame. He might be a grill master. He might be the one who can fix anything from a favorite toy to the family car. He might be a problem-solver or even a wise mentor.

He might be many other things, but he is certainly the teller of dad jokes.

• • •

”I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. I’ll let you know…”

• • •

What is a dad joke?

According to Merriam Webster, it’s “a wholesome joke of the type said to be told by fathers with a punchline that is often an obvious or predictable pun or play on words and usually judged to be endearingly corny or unfunny.”

The joke may be “unfunny,” but the joy dads get in the telling is hilarious. The louder the groans, the bigger the smile on the teller’s face.

• • •

”Have you heard about the chocolate record player? It sounds pretty sweet.”

• • •

You know that awkward silence that often happens in a group setting? A good dad joke will break the ice. A bad dad joke will unify the crowd.

• • •

”Singing in the shower is fun until you get soap in your mouth. Then it’s a soap opera.”

—

Ironically, the master of dad jokes in my family is my grandson, R.J. I know he’s got one coming when he approaches with a sly smile and says, “hey, Grandpa.” Here’s one of his latest:

• • •

”My friend cut his finger while he was cooking. He shouldn’t have been using the sharp cheese.

”Sorry, that joke was a little too cheesy.”

• • •

Kailee Hayden, who does the layout and design for the Courier, regularly gets her dad’s jokes via text. She delights in sharing them. Her current favorite is:

• • •

”What has more lives than a cat? A frog, they croak every night.”

• • •

Dads get an odd satisfaction from being considered “uncool” by their children. That’s healthy. If you’re “cool” in a teenager’s eyes, you’re probably doing something stupid.

I used to feel that way about my sons, but they tell most of the jokes now that they’re dads themselves. We share a knowing nod and a smile when the groans come.

• • •

”If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.”

• • •

They’re not going anywhere. Should a planet-killing event happen, the only survivors will be cockroaches and the visceral essence of dad jokes lingering about the devastation.

• • •

”A skeleton walks into a bar and says, ‘Hey, bartender. I’ll have one beer and a mop.’”

• • •

Jokes aside, I love this observation from astronaut Wally Schirra: “You don’t raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they’ll turn out to be heroes, even if it’s just in your own eyes.”

So happy Fathers day to the heroes and the hero-makers. Let’s get together and share a joke or two.

You’ve got to love dads. They can be so many things. He might be the one who teaches you how to fish or keep score at a ballgame. He might be a grill master. He might be the one who can fix anything from a favorite toy to the family car. He might be a problem-solver or even a wise mentor.

He might be many other things, but he is certainly the teller of dad jokes.

• • •

”I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. I’ll let you know…”

• • •

What is a dad joke?

According to Merriam Webster, it’s “a wholesome joke of the type said to be told by fathers with a punchline that is often an obvious or predictable pun or play on words and usually judged to be endearingly corny or unfunny.”

The joke may be “unfunny,” but the joy dads get in the telling is hilarious. The louder the groans, the bigger the smile on the teller’s face.

• • •

”Have you heard about the chocolate record player? It sounds pretty sweet.”

• • •

You know that awkward silence that often happens in a group setting? A good dad joke will break the ice. A bad dad joke will unify the crowd.

• • •

”Singing in the shower is fun until you get soap in your mouth. Then it’s a soap opera.”

• • •

Ironically, the master of dad jokes in my family is my grandson, R.J. I know he’s got one coming when he approaches with a sly smile and says, “hey, Grandpa.” Here’s one of his latest:

• • •

”My friend cut his finger while he was cooking. He shouldn’t have been using the sharp cheese.

”Sorry, that joke was a little too cheesy.”

• • •

Kailee Hayden, who does the layout and design for the Tribune, regularly gets her dad’s jokes via text. She delights in sharing them. Her current favorite is:

• • •

”What has more lives than a cat? A frog, they croak every night.”

• • •

Dads get an odd satisfaction from being considered “uncool” by their children. That’s healthy. If you’re “cool” in a teenager’s eyes, you’re probably doing something stupid.

I used to feel that way about my children, but they tell most of the jokes now that they’re dads themselves. We share a knowing nod and a smile when the groans come.

• • •

”If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims.”

• • •

They’re not going anywhere. Should a planet-killing event happen, the only survivors will be cockroaches and the visceral essence of dad jokes lingering about the devastation.

• • •

”A skeleton walks into a bar and says, ‘Hey, bartender. I’ll have one beer and a mop.’”

• • •

Jokes aside, I love this observation from astronaut Wally Schirra: “You don’t raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they’ll turn out to be heroes, even if it’s just in your own eyes.”

So happy Fathers day to the heroes and the hero-makers. Let’s get together and share a joke or two.