Let’s hear it for dads everywhere

OK, dads, it’s your turn. It’s no big secret that every year, Mother’s Day in May tends to outshine the day in June set aside just for Dad. The gifts tend to cost more, the day’s activities tend to be more involved and more “all about Mom,” and while churches and other community organizations sometimes host a Father’s Day breakfast, there are hardly as many events geared toward honoring fathers as there are to celebrate Mom.

While fathers seldom complain about this common knowledge that Father’s Day just isn’t as exciting a holiday, the apparent way we view the two different days says a lot about how we view our male and female parents — and dads deserve more credit than we give them.

If you’re among the many lucky sons and daughters of the world who had a father who put in the effort, from the day you were born to the day you moved out of your parents’ house to forge your own path, you’ve got an old man out there worth celebrating this Sunday.

Maybe make this the year you get Dad more than the staple fallback necktie or the humorous Hallmark card with the dad joke you couldn’t have said better yourself. This Father’s Day, put that extra bit of effort into showing your appreciation for the dad, stepdad, grandfather, foster dad or other devoted male guardian who put in the time to help mold you into the person you are today.

Maybe you had one of those dads who worked a lot while you were growing up — pay him a visit or call him up and tell him you’re grateful for instilling in you that same kind of work ethic.

Or maybe there’s some other lesson or value your old man passed down; this week is as good as any to let him know. As writer Umberto Eco once stated, “I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by the little scraps of wisdom.”

Always found it kind of hard to open up and talk to Dad? You’ve probably got at least one fond memor y of an activity you once did together — fishing trips, ballgames, going out for a movie and ice cream. Whatever it may be, make plans to relive it again this weekend.

We also want to honor all the dads out there. Often the unsung heroes of so many families, fathers deserve to know they are appreciated, respected and loved.

To all those new fathers-to-be who are busily and anxiously readying a nursery, we thank you for the hard work you’re already putting into the development of a child. To all you single dads and stay-at-home dads who are tearing down stereotypes as you master a nontraditional parenting role, we thank you. To the more traditional working father who still makes time in the evening to talk with his kids or throw a ball around, we thank you.

And to those fathers who are no longer with us and whose legacies live on only in the beautiful memories they bestowed upon their children: We thank you and we remember you and the imprint your hard work left behind in our hearts.

So let’s reward Dad’s efforts this Sunday by putting in some greater effort of our own. He’s worth that much and then some.