A rush of emotion swept over me recently. Yes, this is Alex and it’s ok for me to admit this.
My oldest son is turning 12 this summer and is starting to make that transition from boy to man. At times I can see his maturity growing in the way he holds himself and how he approaches different obstacles he encounters. I chuckle because moments later I see that same boy fighting with his siblings or exhibiting that boyish imagination as he sword fights with one of his younger brothers.
It was during one of these moments of transition that caught me by surprise. He had just stepped into the bathroom while I was shaving to ask me a serious question when his younger brother ran by and shot him with a Nerf gun. The moment of seriousness passed as my oldest ran off to chase the perpetrator. But a memory came back to me of my conversations with my own dad while he was shaving. It didn’t matter what else was going on but my dad would let me spend time with him while I watched him drag that white shave cream off his face.
That tradition of myself as a young boy watching my father shave has carried over to the next generation and it makes me wonder if my own son will be doing that with his son one day as well. Will my own son experience his own moment and remember back to this conversation?
Either way it’s made me think of the importance of Father’s Day coming up while I think of the day as both a father and a son. Instead of the proverbial tie my kids give me some colored pictures (well, the 3-year old will) and another razor as they do every year. Yes, they really do. And whether they know it or not I’ll likely open the already known gift and smile back to that moment I just had with my son.
How did shaving become such a bond between father and son? It’s that intimate moment where the shaving ritual is like a rite of passage and the father is passing the baton onto the son. It’s filled with so much meaning, so many memories and that hard-pressed moment when your son can nail down the day that he became a man like his dad…or better.
So as I write this with Father’s Day around the corner, take a moment to remember that moment when you had your first shaving experience with your dad. Either the memory of being fascinated by your dad’s morning routine and wondering “when” it is my turn from that moment when you saw your son staring in amazement at you in the mirror with his own look of “when.”
And since the iconic moment between father and son involves that of shaving, why not make it a tradition to dub father a nice new razor for his special day? That’s what my family does. We love to make the special gifts practical ones too. I look forward to receiving a nice razor each Father’s Day. For years, my family has gifted me a nice Gillette Razor as part of my gift.
It’s a gift that is both practical and gives that message of the special moment between father and son and reminds me of that special bond.
And while the gift of a Gillette Razor is a great one, it also doesn’t mean you can’t save a bit of money on gifting one too.
So Cassie found a great deal – it actually comes in three parts:
- Walmart’s everyday low price,
- Combined with a Rollback at Walmart,
- Combined with a P&G brandSAVER coupon = GREAT DEAL!
Here are the details on how to get a great deal at Walmart:
The Gillette Fusion ProShield and Gillette Fusion ProGlide are both on rollback at Walmart for only $9.97 right now.
Then if you grab the P&G brandSAVER coupon booklet that came in the 6/3 Sunday paper, or online at pgeveryday.com, or using the Flipp app, clip the $2 off coupon at Walmart.
Either of these routes will provide a $2 off coupon, making a Gillette Fusion5 Proshield Razor only $7.97! It’s a great deal for dads!
Make it a gift basket by combining it with the Gillette Fusion Proshield Shaving Cream too!
What memories do you remember with your father?
Now go out there and make some memories!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Gillette at Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine.
Michelle
This is a great idea for a tradition. My dad had a full mountainman style beard from the time I was 1, so I never saw him shaving, but I do love that my boys already like to hang out with dad while he’s getting ready.
Melinda
Seriously Alex, you are pulling on the hearts strings with this one. Beautiful writing. As a woman I never had this right of passage but there were many times I watched my Dad shave and chatted with him.