Team Vimbly
Who can blame you for your reluctance to accept your dad’s new lifestyle? It’s like WOOSH! Hot Tub Time Machine all over again. It’s like one day they just wake up from a nap, literally jump off the couch, and make a declaration to themselves that their lives aren’t over yet. And you’re just like, “But dude, you have kids, your life is over… right?” All of a sudden they’re wearing younger-looking clothes, buying a motorcycle and going to hookah bars, watching House of Cards with a weird look in their eye — and even threatening to create an Instagram account: “I’ll do it, I swear! I’ll figure out how to, with or without your help!”
Stop the madness before he takes it too far; use the following 8 steps to stop your dad from turning his Midlife Crisis into the Cuban Missile Crisis. Oh, it can get bad; it can get Walter White bad.
Step 1: Embrace his reckless behavior, but keep him away from sharp objects… and strip clubs.
Step 2: Take him out of his comfort zone and let the poor guy have some fun.
Step 3: Then flip the script. Get him WASTED. Prove to him he’s lost more than just “a step.”
Step 4: Once he accepts the fact that his tolerance isn’t what it used to be, give him his much needed hungover space.
Step 5: Then, when he’s most disheveled and vulnerable, appeal to his inner Walter Mitty and go on an adventure with him.
Step 6: With his spirits up high again, sign him up for a martial arts class and show him he’s still the one in control.
Step 7: Now that he’s relaxed and calm, sit him down for a talk. Remind him all issues in life are manageable and that no matter what, you got his back.
Step 8: Tell him he’s the best dad in the world so many times until he finally replies:
You see, it’s your job, as the child of someone who literally thinks he’s invincible again, to remind your dad that he’s just as human as the rest of us. Will this hurt his ego? Yes. But this is the only way to help him get out of his funk. With these 8 steps, you’ll first break him down… then build him back up.
PS: Need some fun things to do with your dad? Play the Vimbly game to receive a personalized list of suggestions.