The Cycle of Manhood (Illustrated)
[ click here to enlarge the image ]
Everyone has a father. That sounds like a dumb statement at first. And it may continue to sound so. But it seems like it’s just taken for granted. Really think about it: your father had a father who had a father who had a father… and on and on, going back before times were “old school,” past “olden times,” waaaaaay beyond “times of Olde.” It’s pretty amazing, this long chain that is the Cycle of Manhood.
When I stare at my kids getting bigger, faster and smarter (one hopes), it’s wild to think they’ll be as old as I am one day. I know I know, it goes without saying. But it still melts my brain. C’mon! Lucas is only two! And even though Cody and Max are pubescent, it’s still strange to picture any of my boys driving, going on a date or making that “you’re crushing my hand” smile as their wives labor to push out the little one that will make me a GRANDFATHER!!!
@#$!@%@#$^ ← that’s how you spell the sound of a brain melting instantaneously, by the way.
I think about what my dad must think looking at me, as I am now. Once his tiny little gremlin of a son getting into his tools, now I’m all grown up with three little/not-so-little gremlins of my own.
The idea of the Cycle of Manhood gives me a special kind of appreciation for having kids and being a father, and being a son to my dad. We’re part of an ancient and honorable tradition, with a heritage that wheels away into the mists of time further than even the mind can easily see.
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Maybe something less philosophical?
No problem, we were boring ourselves.
17 Comments
17 Responses to “The Cycle of Manhood (Illustrated)”
Love the diagram. The cycle really is rather amazing, isn’t it?
‘Tis! Thanks.
Magical! Andy as a grandpa sounds like a remarkable thing to see. I’m looking forward to it. You better buy the Howtobeagrandpa.com domain now.
Ha ha! I am looking forward to it too in a way. Sitting on a lawn chair sipping lemonade while throwing whiffle balls at all the swarming kneebiters seems to suit me.
I want this diagram pasted in a circle onto one of those mid-19th century picture wheels with mirrors so I can spin it in circles to find inner meaning, and possibly to understand the minds of men…
I WANT THAT! Great idea. Ugh! Love it. And you’re dead on, everything a woman needs to understand a man is summed up in this one illustration.
I think the diagram is a little off in depiction of the truth. After the baby the next two should be doing what the young man is doing. It’s more the truth. I’m just saying… LOL
But it’s the essences of things! Ha ha! You and I both know that if I did it literally accurate this wouldn’t be post-able.
I agree Andy.
I’ll never get tired of it, people agreeing with me I mean. I’m incurably addicted but I’m at peace with my habit.
Just want to share this quote for a different view point on how one “becomes” a father:
“It has been said that adoption is more like a marriage than a birth: two (or more) individuals, each with their own unique mix of needs, patterns, and genetic history, coming together with love, hope, and commitment for a joint future. You become a family not because you share the same genes, but because you share love for each other.” -Joan McNamara
Beautiful! And all part of the Cycle. Despite the spoof on Darwin’s “Ascent of Man” drawing, this was intended to be deeper in concept than a materialist’s attempt at a genetic family tree.
Thanks for sharing.
Adoptive dads and sons have a home at howtobeadad.com.
Is there a Hi-res version of that image for a wallpaper, like 1920×1280 per chance..? It’s brilliant.
Thanks so much. All my files are built over-sized but we don’t offer them larger than what we post at the moment.
My favorite is the banana added for scale.
Ha ha ha! It’s a HTBAD trademark. See also: Pocket Guide to a Child’s Tracks and Movement Patterns
You’ll all be seeing it again. And again. And, guess what, yes, again.
This needs to be on a coffee mug