This Sunday is Father’s Day and while we know there are a whole slew of really awesome dads out there, we think we have a few of the best ones here atBUBS Naturals. But first, a dad joke: A bear walks into a bar, says to the bartender, “I think I’ll have a……………...beer.” (Much like most dads, I’m going to tell a story real quick before we get to the punchline.)
Sean Lake grew up with the namesake of BUBS,Glen “BUB” Doherty. Lake has fond memories of running around the neighborhood with Glen, exploring and adventuring with his friend. It’s this spirit of adventure that still permeates Lake’s life, including his role as a father. Sean and his wife, Heather, spend their weekends outside riding bikes, playing on the beach, going on hikes with their two and four-year-old. “We as a family try to keep them on the go as much as we can, keep exposing them to new adventures, learning their manners, and all the good basics,” he said. It’s not the same as ripping around mountains and ski slopes with his best friend, but Lake knows he’s instilling some solid life skills in his kids. “Patience. It is a virtue. Learning to give space allows for a lot of learning opportunities,” he said. And it’s a ton of fun, at the Lake house, eating broccoli at dinner is referred to as eating dinosaur trees. Not fun though is that ever classic lego on the floor move, “Those goddamn legos that you step on all the time! Kids have no respect for a properly organized toy bin.”
At the home ofRyan Hayes, the man behind the look and feel of BUBS, one of the things his kids have respect for is good music.“My kids know Wu-Tang is for the children and that Alexisonfire is still the greatest Canadian post-hardcore band in the entire world,” he told me. That’s thanks in part to his wonderful wife, Katie, who works in our Customer Service department. Ryan told me the secret at their home is, “Make your kids adapt to you, don't adapt to your kids. I read (by proxy of my wife) a book called "Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting"where it essentially makes a case for raising your children in your world, as you currently live it. Obviously this doesn't mean strapping your kids into the stroller and rolling them up to the local dive bar, but it means introducing them to foods you eat, activities you find joyful and dancing to the music you enjoy; not the shitty Disney soundtrack for the 111th time.” Hence, Wu-Tang and Alexisonfire.
But Ryan also makes sure that his kids, two adorable toddler girls, understand other things as deftly as music. “Pay attention. Get down on your kids level and talk to them like a person. Don't talk to them like a baby, don't sugar coat things, just be honest, relative to their capacity to understand,” he said. “Obviously you don't want to tell them Grandpa died in a terrible plane crash and his body will never be put back together, but you do want to let them know that Grandpa is gone and not coming back. This has helped our kids in dealing with the world in a different, more honest way.”
Lorenzo Lietti, who makes sure you can get BUBS in your favorite local store, shows his kids how to deal with the world by traveling it. Lorenzo, who’s kids are 19, 16, and 10, has been traveling with him since they were babies. “By far, my favorite memories of being a father are our trips together from the time they were 8 months old they have been traveling all over Europe with us,” he remembers. At home in San Diego, California his experience of parenting is a bit more mundane. “Why is it that up to a certain age kids NEVER want to shower,” he asked. They get there eventually, as all parents know. That’s probably also evidence of how Lorenzo leads his family by example. “The only way I know is to lead by example and eventually they come around and start asking questions,” he said.
Not asking any questions yet is Rhys, the eleven-month-old son of Ryan Singer, BUBS Growth Evangelist. Singer is still getting his feet wet as a parent, and he’s loving it. “So at this point my favorite memories are his birth/taking him home for the first time, and a close second would be the first time he purposely smiled at me. Regardless, every day that I am with him is a wonderful memory. I am taking it all in,” he said.
Still in that adorable baby stage, Ryan has one focus as a parent. “Our focus with Rhys is to show endless love, and happiness in the household,” he said. “He is happy so we are rolling with it. We have implemented baby led weaning to Rhys, and he loves eating everything from chicken to salmon to avocado and asparagus. He also digs green shakes.” You better believe there’s BUBS in those smoothies.
Bartender says to the bear, “No problem. But what’s with the big pause?”
Happy Father’s Day to all you gems out there, raising babies, telling terrible jokes, and taking names. We see you.