Dale Hansen Talks Like a Deadbeat Dad

Categorized | culture, news / media

Dale Hansen Talks Like a Deadbeat Dad

Posted on 04 April 2007 by DanielthePoet

Somebody somewhere will call me “Mr. Controversy” for stirring this up, but I can’t help but call people on their bs. Famous Dallas sports anchor Dale Hansen was recalling some memories of his father’s penny pinching ways yesterday, and he said some things you wouldn’t expect an intelligent male to say.

Hansen transitioned from his stories about dad to present-day golfers, several of whom are expecting to have babies soon. These men are slated to play in major national golf tournaments, and they’ve announced that they will be leaving the golf course to be with their wives should the situation arise. Makes sense. A loving husband and proud father should eagerly anticipate the birth of his child. It is only one of the top three most important events a family will ever face (the other two being wedding of husband and wife and wedding of children).

Believe it or not, live on ESPN Radio, Dale Hansen asks the question, “Do you really need to be there when the baby’s born?” He asked in all seriousness. According to father-of-the-year-Dale, these men should stay on the course and “do what they do best.” So skill has apparently superseded family values and the bond of husband and wife.

Does Dale even understand what this means? Apparently not. He admits that he was in the Navy when his first child was born, and he “had to work” when the second was born. He took a few hours off work to go visit his wife and newborn in the hospital, bought some cigars to celebrate, and then went back to work. How wonderfully trite. The ONLY reason we’ll excuse his behavior is because he’s old enough to play the card: “that’s the way we did things back then.” Puh-lease!

Okay, we’ll give him some grace and assume he wasn’t a deadbeat dad. He wasn’t there for his children’s births and he admittedly doesn’t understand why the father needs to be there for the actual moment of birth.

Welcome to the 21st Century, Mr. Hansen. Men are now required to be human beings and not just workaholic machines. Please adapt and rejoin society. It’s not enough to get famous and pay the bills. The husband and wife bond over the EXPERIENCE of the birth of each son and daughter. They share in something intimate that no one else can take part in: the culmination of their moments of intimacy nine months ago. They live through the entire process TOGETHER. The wife knows she is secure and safe when her husband proves to her that he both loves her and willingly chooses to experience life with her. That means being there. That means knowing the joys of that first moment.

It’s one thing to be in the service or stuck in traffic. It’s another to miss the point of why it’s an important moment.

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3 Comments For This Post

Karen Says:
April 6th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Amen! I really wish more people had the same mentality as you. I always know that when I read your writings I will definitely be entertained. I hope everything is going well. I also hope to make some more meaningful comments on your posts. Also, I’m writing a few articles for our magazine at work. Nothing big, but hopefully it’s a start!
Daniel Says:
April 6th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Thanks, Karen. I wondered if anyone out there was going to publicly agree with me.

I’d love to read your articles when they’re finished. Where do you work? It’s been a while since we caught up.

Go ahead and post a response here if you get a chance.
someone who knows Says:
May 14th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
I can tell you stories about Dale and his paretning skills. i am a relative of his and he was NEVER there for his kids , EVER. he left them with their mom when they were little and the list goes on…