Time's Up

Some fathers get the barn door closed before the horse escapes and some don't. Still, the horse always gets out

One who likely missed his best chance to keep things under control (but does get something of a do-over) is Dennis Patten, who will shortly be settling down with son Alfie, 13, to discuss the birds and the bees. [Earlier: What's It All About Alf] The good news for Ole' Alf is that he is not the father of his 14-year-old girlfriend's baby. The bad news is that he is apparently heartbroken to learn that his girlfriend cheated on him.

For a better sense of timing, you can consider Gerald Henderson Sr., who had an unbroken streak of one-on-one wins against Jr. He was an ex-NBA star and his son was about 12 or 13 when that competition ended. Still, the father could see his son was getting closer to topping him and was well on his way to his current college stardom. While he knew his son would soon be dunking over and all around him, he also knew that if he didn't compete he couldn't get beat.

The key to fatherhood: you gotta pick your moments.