Without dedicated bonding time, family communication can break down and dads will never know that it's taboo to warm socks in the toaster. Preserve familial unity with today’s Groupon: for $12, you get an all-day pass to Mulligan Family Fun Center, with locations in Torrance, Palmdale, and Murrieta (a $20 to $23.99 value, depending on location).

All-day passes can be redeemed any day through January 8, 2012, and on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays after that. The all-day passes do not include use of the batting cages or arcades.

Mulligan Family Fun Center's venues burst with active, group-oriented diversions such as mini-golf, go-karts, and laser tag. At the Torrance location, groups can scatter about a 2,200-square-foot laser-tag arena, zapping opponents amid a wash of special lighting effects, sci-fi sounds, and snarky robot hecklers. Two 18-hole mini-golf courses wind through trees and foliage, dotted with sand and water traps, and a rock wall casts a shadow over climbers with its 25-foot-high spire. In Murrieta, single- and double-seater go karts race around a 1,500-foot track, and a separate rookie course prepares young drivers for adulthood traffic jams on the way to the candy store. Murrieta's Kiddie Korral also caters to children with a kangaroo jump ride, rotating teacups, and a train.

Blaster Boats clash seasonally on the pond at the Palmdale location, each vessel rigged with inflated bumpers and water cannons for combat on the low-to-medium seas. Meanwhile, a redemption arcade draws in youngsters with the jingling sound of tokens and the thrill of potential trinkets at the prize counter, where they can turn in tickets for swirly pencils and college degrees.