When my brother Seth and I overheard Dad calling Mom “lazy” and mocking her cooking, we couldn’t let it slide. What began as a typical Christmas gift exchange turned into a mission to teach Dad a lesson he’d never forget.
Mom is the glue of our family—working full-time, managing the house, and still helping Seth with his projects. Dad, on the other hand, lounges around, leaving all the hard work to her. So when we overheard him on the phone mocking Mom’s cooking, we knew we had to do something.
Christmas morning arrived, and Dad’s turn to open gifts came. One by one, he unwrapped fishing rods from nearly every family member, all part of our plan to make him eat his words. Meanwhile, Mom was glowing as she opened gifts we’d secretly arranged: a designer purse, a spa gift card, and a personalized necklace with our names. Her joy was palpable.
Dad’s face soured as he sat surrounded by fishing rods. “What’s with all these rods?” he demanded. Aunt Patricia grinned. “We thought you might want to start fishing, since Lily works so hard in the kitchen.”
