Patriarchs and a pandemic: Summer season restores sense of normalcy for Father's Day

As the COVID-19 pandemic imposed unprecedented complications to the already-difficult job of parenting, mothers and fathers reinvented their home lives in previously-unimagined ways this year.

Fathers of high school seniors found ways to celebrate graduations within recommended health guidelines, and grandparents were forced to develop drive-by relationships with grandchildren.

While many health risks muddled Mother's Day plans in May, state restrictions were lifted this month making for Father's Day festivities slightly more feasible.

The advent of summer provided parents with a somewhat-restored sense of normalcy, and as parks gradually reopened and summer sports leagues started, dads were drawn back to handling more traditional tests of parenthood -- wading through water parks, playing at ponds and pitching at hitting practice.

Darrell Powell and his 9-year-old son Damien stood together on the outskirts of Field 6 in Arena Park on Tuesday night as Damien prepared to play his first game in an organized baseball league.

Ryan Mosley of Cape Girardeau laughs as his 2-year-old daughter Neibi cautiously reaches her hand into a stream of water Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at the Capaha Park Splash Pad in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

After the father acknowledged the significance of the game, Damien quickly and confidently pointed out he had plenty of experience as an unorganized ballplayer. Standing proudly corrected, Darrell smiled and agreed with his son.

Damien said he most wanted to secure a position as pitcher. Darrell noted that he would believe in his son's talents at any position on the field, but ultimately agreed with his son once again -- Damien would make a great pitcher.

Despite being absent for his team's first game of the season one week prior, the 9-year-old newcomer showed almost no nervousness ahead of his debut in the diamond.

With 15 minutes until game time, Damien had yet to receive his jersey and his team was nowhere to be found. Just as he began to ask his dad if a mistake could have been made, a cavalry of cars arrived and Damien's new teammates flooded toward the dugout. The father-son duo introduced themselves to the coach and Damien was handed his first official jersey -- a jersey coincidentally borne #1 on its back.

As Darrell continued his introductory conversations with the coaches, Damien stepped into the dugout and changed into his new jersey. When his son returned to his side, Darrell told the now-uniformed ballplayer it was time to follow his coaches' orders now.

Southeast Missouri State football offensive coordinator and Cape Youth Baseball League third-base coach Jeromy McDowell sends his son Cru to home plate Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at Arena Park Field 8 in Cape Girardeau.BEN MATTHEWS ~ bmatthews@semissourian.com

The father wished his son good luck, relinquished his control on the situation, and sent him onto the field.

With his phone in hand, Darrell broadcasted his son's first game of organized baseball for all to see and happily narrated the achievements of players on both teams as the game went on.

Similar scenes between fathers and sons could be found throughout the ballfields Tuesday night, and while the moments making up those encounters may have seemed ordinary, the memories they leave in a father's mind are extraordinary -- and especially needed amid a pandemic.