Father's Day questions answered by dear old Dad

It's Father's Day, the also-ran of holidays that is also the day of a decades-old tradition in this space.

It's time for a dad to step into the shoes of Ann Landers, Dear Abby, Miss Manners and Dear Prudence.

Following are fake letters from artificial residents of real towns, seeking advice from a dad.

Dear Dad: I love my daughter and I love my son-in-law, but every time I go to their house to visit, it makes me crazy. The house is an absolute mess! My daughter was always messy, but now she has a child and the house looks like it was hit by a hurricane! I've offered to help her clean, but she says that's not needed. I'm concerned for my 2-year-old grandson. How can I convince my daughter that her house shouldn't be a total pigsty? – Concerned in Fairfield

Dear Concerned: The old saying is, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Speaking of that, do you remember the business that used to be next to Food Maxx? On the side by Beck Avenue? It seems like it was a soccer store or something. I always planned to check it out because I like sports jerseys. Or was it a video game store? Maybe I'll check it out the next time I'm over there, in case it's still in business. I hope I answered your question.

Dear Dad: I'm a 35-year-old single man and I'm interested in settling down, but I don't use dating apps and I don't like going to bars. However, there's a woman in my office who I speak with regularly and I'm pretty sure there's mutual attraction. How do I approach her in a modern workplace? We have constant training on sexual harassment and I don't want to do anything that makes her uncomfortable. Is there a way I could approach her to see if she's interested in going on a date without making it awkward for both of us if she says no? – Respectful in Vacaville

Dear Respectful: Dating is tough. But you know what else is tough? Working on modern cars. Back in the day, if your engine needed some work, you could just go out to a junkyard, find the parts and do the work yourself. Now, cars are more like computers and you need special equipment to even understand the problem. Give me a good old 1970s American-made sedan anytime. I hope I answered your question.

Dear Dad: I'm a 16-year-old incoming junior in high school and my parents are overbearing. They always want to know where I'm going and when I'll be home. I have a 10 p.m. curfew on weeknights and 11:30 p.m. on Fridays. It's crazy! My friends' parents are all less strict. I'm an A student and don't use drugs or alcohol. How can I get my parents to realize that they're suffocating me and get them to loosen up? – Frustrated in Suisun City

Dear Frustrated: You're 16? When I was 16, my best friend Rudy had a 1976 Chevy Nova (which we could work on when we wanted) that we used to take when we cruised up and down Texas Street. One time, a group of us went to the old drive-in and Martin Nightengale (who was a year younger than us, but was always willing to do crazy things) hid in the trunk to sneak in and save $4. When we got inside, Rudy convinced the rest of us to leave Martin in the trunk. After about 15 minutes of him yelling, we let him out. It was hilarious. I hope I answered your question.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@outlook.com.