to phil dunphy

Dear Philip Humphrey Dunphy,

Tell me, how did you always look at the bright side? How did you calm down Claire? How did you never give up on stereotypical Haley? How did you create a bond with over smart, safety window- Alex? How did you always believe in troublemaker Luke? How did you maintain your cool with sarcastic Jay Pritchett?

You always wanted to be the cool dad or the cool husband. But sometimes, you felt very dorky and embarrassing. When Claire referred to you as- “kid she is married to” or when she said, “his job is the only thing he takes seriously to,” I believed her. You loved home repair work, but throughout the season 1- you never fixed that broken step Claire asked you to. “I got Gloria,” when you shouted this…I somewhere felt sorry for Claire.

However, when you introduced me to ‘Peerenting- acting as a parent but behaving like a peer’ or to ‘Phil’s-osophy- your point of view to look at issues,’ I started to fall in love with you. You made me realize how to be extremely compassionate and empathetic to a fault. You made me realize that if it comes to being an affectionate and a family man…it is okay to behave like a dork and embarrassing. You made me believe in you when you constantly tried to bond with your kids or the way you doted on Claire or the way you portrayed the character of ‘Clive Bixby’ every Valentine’s Day or the way you supported Claire in her obsession with those Halloween Parties.

When you said, “My kids are helpless, but maybe that's okay. Because years from now when they have their own houses, they'll call me on their hologram phones and say, 'Help me, dad. You're my only hope.' And I'll be the happiest father in sector 7 or sector 12,” I had tears in my eyes.

Phil, you were a born dreamer and always almost unshakably easygoing, optimistic, happy-go-lucky and a positive attitude person in an insane degree of situations. Despite this, you were fully capable of being deadly serious when your family's welfare was being compromised.

All the best to you with your new RV and that fresh love for Claire.

Yours,

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Phil Dunphy is a lead character, a husband, a father of three kids in a sitcom- 'Modern Family'