(NewsNation) — Television host Mike Rowe said it’s “high time we start to see our dads as heroes again” ahead of Father’s Day this Sunday.
The “Dirty Jobs” star joined “On Balance with Leland Vittert” on Friday and reflected on the influence of his father, an elementary school teacher and the lessons he learned growing up.
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Rowe said he hit the ‘double lottery’ with father and grandfather
Rowe said his appreciation for his father deepened over time, especially after his mother explained how hard he worked to support his family “at a job that was never his dream job.”
Rowe added that he hit the “double lottery,” describing how his grandfather set a different yet complementary example for him as a parental figure.
“Between the two of them, they checked every box,” Rowe said, explaining that his father “was very, very specific in the way he raised his three sons, but right next door I had a grandfather who was different.”
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Rowe criticizes modern portrayal of fathers in media
Rowe also criticized the modern portrayal of fathers in sitcoms, describing how they are often depicted as “the brunt of the joke.” He believes the characterization is unhelpful and referenced how older shows, like the 1950s hit “Leave It to Beaver,” portrayed fathers in a positive light.
“It’s a pendulum,” Rowe said. “With ‘Father Knows Best’ and ‘Leave it to Beaver,’ we were all the way in that direction, and then we came all the way back.”
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