Kate Johnson, a University of Idaho junior, will stay in town for Dads’ Weekend for the first time since starting school at UI. Johnson’s father died when she was 11 and she said the weekend is one she has avoided in the past.
“Normally, I avoid this weekend by going home,” Johnson said. “This weekend makes me pretty sad, even though I have a new father figure in my life.”
Johnson’s stepdad of four years is coming for the tailgate, prior to the Vandal football team playing Texas State on Saturday. She said the weekend might be an opportunity to get closer to her stepdad.
“We’re not super close, because I’ve been away at school the whole time,” Johnson said. “I’m trying to get closer to my stepdad. It’s just hard to all of a sudden (to) have a father figure in my life. But I’m realizing that he’s going to be there for me for the rest of my life and I should get to know him.”
Like Johnson, not all UI students spend the designated Dads’ Weekend with their biological fathers.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one out of three people are without a biological father in their life.
Many students bring other family members or friends to Moscow for Dads’ Weekend.
Bryan Jensen, a UI junior, also celebrates the weekend with other family members. Jenson’s dad died while Jensen was still in high school.
“I have an older cousin who is a University of Idaho alumni. He came up my freshman year. We played in the Dads’ Weekend golf tournament,” Jensen said. “I also went to the game with some of my family. Last year, my mom came to town. We went out to lunch and she helped me clean my apartment,” Jensen said.
Even without their biological fathers, Jensen still recognizes the importance of the weekend.
“For me, this weekend is a chance to remember my father,” Jensen said. “I like to see my friends making this weekend special with their dads, because it’s not something you should take for granted.”
McKenah Lesko can be reached at [email protected]