Advice from a dad on Father's Day

It's Father's Day, the 365th-most-important day of the year (366th most-important day in leap years), which means it's time to bring in a specialist to answer your questions.

Like Annie's Mailbox and Tim Jones' real estate column, this space each year becomes a forum for you, the reader, to have your questions answered. By a dad.

Let's go to the mailbag:

Dear Dad:

I think my 13-year-old son is smoking marijuana, but don't know how to confront him. I remember my parents were so out of touch when I was a teenager and experimented with weed. I don't want to make him feel like he can't trust me, but I can't ignore that he smells like marijuana when he comes home from school. What should I do?

– Worried in Suisun

Dear Worried:

Does anyone call marijuana "grass" anymore? I guess "weed" is a better description, speaking of which, I think it's time for another batch of Weed-N-Feed on the lawn. This happens every year around this time – the lawn needs to be mowed every week. I've found that the best way to apply Weed-N-Feed is to turn on the sprinklers for a few minutes, then turn them off and let the lawn set for a bit before I use the spreader I keep in the shed. The water keeps the grains on the grass and stops the wind from taking it away.

Dear Dad:

My adult daughter has two children, but they have different fathers and one actually lives with her dad. The problem is that when I send the grandkids Christmas gifts, the child who lives with my daughter always sends a thank you card and the other doesn't. I'm not even sure if she gets the gifts, so would I seem ungracious if I called and asked? Her father and I don't get along.

– Fairfield Grandma

Dear Grandma:

You know who else apparently didn't get along? Angel Pagan and his Giants teammates. I read that a few weeks ago and wasn't surprised. Apparently, Pagan's teammates were not overly fond of him, which explains why the Giants didn't make a huge effort to re-sign him as a free agent, despite not having a left fielder. So they played four years with an unpopular outfielder, but no one knew about it. Further evidence that Bruce Bochy is a great manager.

Dear Dad:

My wife and I have a disagreement. Every time someone drives through our neighborhood at a fast rate of speed, she gets irate – and expects me to do the same. As far as I'm concerned, by the time we realize a car was driving fast, it's already gone, but she wants me to call the police. Who's right?

– I Just Want Peace

Dear Peace:

What is it about teenage boys that makes them drive fast? I guess their brains aren't fully functional. I remember my first car: It was a 1976 Volkswagen Rabbit and I drove it faster than I should have. A Volkswagen Rabbit! It seems ridiculous now, but I had some fuzzy dice hanging from the rear-view mirror and consistently drove faster than the speed limit. Another thing: It was a five-speed and I thought nothing of having a stick shift. Too bad kids don't know how to drive a stick now, which seems like we've lost something. I miss that Rabbit.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.