Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Father’s Day get less love than Mother’s Day
Rodrigo, a friend, made a valiant argument to support his theory that Father’s Day means as much as Mother’s Day before his dinner guests sided against him. Sure, dads maintain an important role in raising children but mothers rule. Just the fact that they carry children around for nine months gives them an inside track, so to speak, in developing a special bond with offspring.
In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother’s Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers.
The first celebration for Father’s Day occurred in 1910 as Spokane, WA resident Sonoma Smart Dodd honored her father but the country needed time to make this holiday official.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day although President Richard Nixon received credit for establishing an official observance for dads six years later.
Fathers receive a bad rap about our special day. A misrepresentation exists regarding fathers’ desires to be left alone during this celebration although it’s a true observation for golfing dads who want to watch the final round of the U.S. Men’s Open.
United States Golf Association members should consider moving to another date their national championship. Dinner while attempting to watch the final round delivers severe challenges.
For the most part, men want recognition. In fact, research showed that approximately three-percent of fathers prefer isolation while 11 percent of women, that’s right mothers, would just love if the entire family left them alone.
Understandable since many women work then perform household duties of cooking, chores, chauffeuring children to soccer, ice hockey, basketball, dance recitals, etc. More mothers should request R&R on their day off.
Fathers desire cards and despite their sudden bristle against affection, we want phone calls, hugs, gifts and kisses, too.
By the way, Mother’s Day card sales soar to almost 139 million while Father’s Day numbers trails significantly at 94 million.
My children should know that no problem exists with them purchasing a 99-cent card. Greeting cards have gone through the roof as witnessed by a recent shopping event in search of a high school graduation card for my son.
An Iron Man card looked and sounded perfect until a card flip to show an ungodly price. What the what? $6.99 for a cool card that espoused “Now is when you take off. Can’t wait to see you soar.” Not happening.
Another option allowed for a computer print out of Iron Man then gluing his image onto a piece of construction paper.
Of course, Americans have capitalized the heck out of two worthy holidays. We spend about $20.7 billion on Mother’s Day and another $14 billion on fathers.
As of 2014, 12 million families were listed as single-parent households. Women, single-mothers, headed 83 percent of those homes, which certainly tips the scale in their favor of being significantly more valuable than men.
Dads show improvement as most of us spend more time with our children than our fathers spent with us.
Rodrigo performed his role as father and husband which added to his argument for equity.
Maybe we have not reached the pinnacle held by our female counterparts but many male friends display a desire to be better dads, more involved, more aware and certainly more helpful.
So, enjoy this Father’s Day.
Turn off the television and put down the video game control and let your family love you. Happy Father’s Day. (Ooooh, look. A tie..