Welcome to feis dad

Hello, my name is Matt. I have a daughter ... no, make that two daughters ... who LOVE Irish Dance.

There. I admitted it. I’ve come clean.

It's the first step in recognizing I have a problem.

Did I say problem? Well, maybe that’s not quite right.

It’s more like a crisis of epic proportions.

If you’ve got a daughter in novice, prizewinner or championship, you know what I mean. Don’t worry, if you’re just starting this ride, you’ll find out soon enough.

If you don't know what a feis is. you're on the wrong blog. If you do know what a feis is and like it, you're on the wrong blog. If the thought of going to a feis makes you feel queasy, you're in the right place.

So, you're supposed to be here, now what?

Take a look at my first post, titled: Feis Dad Syndrome.

See if you've developed this terrible condition.

If you've got it, don't despair. There is help. I may not offer any right now, but don't lose hope, I'll get to it eventually.

Above all, I am looking forward to your comments, funny stories and helpful suggestions.

Thanks for joining me.

-- feis dad

Blog Posts

The following are posts. Please read, laugh and comment.

-feis dad

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

feis dad goes international!

Just wanted to announce that feis dad’s gone international! I know … I know … the internet is international, but this is different. Starting in the November issue of Irish Dancing & Culture Magazine, feis dad has his own column. It’s called Feis Dad (my creativity and originality at its finest). It will be a monthly column similar to the blog (except without the cool videos and pictures) and will feature similar articles in the beginning so everyone is on the same page.

Comments and suggestions for future articles are welcome.

If you like the feis dad articles, feel free to post a comment here or send the IDM editor (Tamasine Johnson) at tamasine@irishdancing.com a note. But please, don’t all three of you send her an email at once, it could overload the system.

If you don’t like the feis dad articles, feel free to do nothing.

--feis dad
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Monday, November 24, 2008

feis dad or not a feis dad?

During a recent trip to a feis, I met two brothers. Identical twins actually. Identical in every way, every detail, every fiber of their being--except one.

One of the brothers had two daughters in Irish dance and they were competing in the feis. The other brother, he was only there to watch. His daughters had decided to do something a little less expensive—like pro tennis lessons and investing in the stock market.

Below are pictures I took of each twin in front of their respective homes. Can you tell which one is a feis dad?






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Sunday, November 9, 2008

Where's feis dad -- 2


Okay, another rousing round of Where's feis dad. Here's another picture from a typical feis and a typical feis dad. See if you can find him. Hint: It's what feis dad's think about when they're at a feis.


--feis dad




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A serious message from feis dad about being a feis dad

This blog is not to be taken seriously. It’s meant to take a good-natured poke at how Irish Dance affects fathers (something many wives and daughters may not think about).

The reality of the situation is that most dads just don’t get the Irish Dance thing. It’s like asking our wives and daughters why they don’t throw high fives every time our favorite player hits a three-pointer in the playoffs.

I love my daughters, but I just can’t sit through twelve hours of accordion music at feis’ once a month. It is beyond me. And I truly believe that forcing me to do so would make me begin to resent their activity, which none of us want.

BUT, that doesn’t mean I don’t support our daughters in my own way.

That’s exactly what this blog is about. For good or bad, THIS is part of my support for them.

Some may say I’m not a good father if I don’t go to each and every performance or feis. But I believe both my daughters know I think what they are doing is important and good for them even though it’s hard for me to spell feis or oreach … orack … that big national feis thing.

My point in all of this is that although there are some things we just won’t do, I believe real feis dads need to ensure they:

Support their daughter’s (or son’s) love of Irish Dance.

Take interest in how they are doing.

Are excited when they perform well and move up.

Comfort them when they don’t.

Support their activity as much as we can within realistic financial and family obligations

Although we may not understand the specifics (like the difference is between a slip jig and a reel) we take an interest in the general idea

We tell our children we are proud of them every chance we get

Although we make light of some of the aspects of Irish Dance, they are never mean spirited or hurtful

We ensure that our children know what they are doing is important to us

Do what dads do best: build things—practice dance floors, sound systems, etc.

Take them to practices and performances when possible (even if it means missing part of the game, but maybe not if it’s the playoffs).

Again, this blog is not meant to be taken seriously.

No one is perfect. Not even feis dads. If you can’t laugh about it (or about yourself) then you’re missing out.

--feis dad