Last weekend, I was helping my parents do some early morning shopping (as one does).

✔️ Mistake #1.

Of course, in true boomer fashion, we eschewed the abhorrent self-checkout and instead opted for the over-caffeinated, underpaid human cashier instead (as one does NOT).

✔️✔️ Mistake #2.

Too busy placing a much-needed Dunkin' order on my mobile app, I nearly missed when the cashier asked my father if he wanted his milk in a bag.

DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER, MISTAKE #3. ✔️✔️✔️

Without missing a beat, dear old Dad of course replied, "No thanks, I'll keep it in the carton."

That Specific Look from my long-suffering, god-fearing mother would have been enough to silence all of us as kids; but of course, it only encouraged Dad to double down. I'll spare you the rest, since I couldn't do the same for the poor cashier. RIP.

But that's the thing about dad jokes – they aren't just puns and one-line zingers. They're a way of life, a rite of passage.

They're also the verbal equivalent of wearing socks with sandals: Essential to the dad experience, and so very, very uncool.

These aren't jokes that require sophisticated setup, but they're an essential part of our familial ecosystem. They're pure, unadulterated silliness that harkens back to a simpler time. And more importantly, they're part of the inheritance passed to all embarrassed kids by their loving parents. That's the true beauty of the thing.

Because in a world of uncertainty, all of us want to know we can always count on our parents. Even if it's just counting on being embarrassed in the checkout line every Saturday at 8:15 A.M.

("Hey embarrassed, I'm Dad.")