Father’s Day, which falls on Sunday, June 18, is a time for people to celebrate the men in their lives. For children, it is a day to show appreciation for their fathers and father-figures. For adults, it is a day to show much they love and appreciate the hard work of the fathers and husbands in their lives. Although many of us celebrate Father’s Day, we may not know the history behind this tradition.
Surprisingly, this holiday in some western countries was not completely accepted at first. But over time, people embraced the idea of the influence fathers had on their families, especially in their children’s lives.
Why Do We Celebrate Father’s Day?
According to the History Channel, Sonora Smart Dodd, a woman from Spokane, Washington, was the founder of Father’s Day. She was one of six children raised by her widowed father. Her mother had died during the birth of her sixth child. Since Mother’s Day was established in 1908, Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to have an equivalent holiday for fathers. To promote her idea of celebrating fathers for a day, Sonora visited local churches and the YMCA and met with shopkeepers and government officials to gain support for this new tradition. Because of her hard work, Sonora found success when Washington State celebrated the first Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.
Even though Mother’s Day gained momentum right away, it would take years for Father’s Day to be nationally recognized as a holiday. In 1916 and 1924, Presidents Wilson and Calvin Coolidge showed support for Father’s Day. President Coolidge even urged state governments to celebrate this holiday. But it was not until decades later that Father’s Day would be recognized as a national holiday. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. In 1972, President Nixon finally established a permanent national observance of Father’s Day.
One reason it took so long for Father’s Day to become a national holiday in the U.S. was because of a lack of support among men. Many men felt the holiday traditions of gift-giving and flowers did not celebrate their masculinity. Some also thought it was a way for stores to commercialize another holiday and to pressure families into spending more money by buying unnecessary gifts. In the 1920s and 1930s, a movement actually attempted to eradicate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The movement’s supporters called for replacing those holidays with Parent’s Day, in which both parents are celebrated. Despite the movement’s efforts, Mother’s Day stayed on the calendar, and Father’s Day would eventually be added to the national calendar.
Why Should We Celebrate Father’s Day?
Despite the original controversy surrounding Father’s Day, society has had a growing awareness of the importance of fathers. In the early 1900s, fathers did not receive much credit for the influence they had on their children. In fact, most psychological studies completed on parenting focused their research on mothers. However, in the 1970s, psychologists started recognizing the importance of fathers.
In recent studies, Psychology Today has found that “children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections…Numerous studies find that an active and nurturing style of fathering is associated with better verbal skills, intellectual functioning, and academic achievement among adolescents.”
Basically, children who have involved fathers are more likely to be healthy emotionally, socially, and intellectually. Even when children face crises, having an involved father helps children regulate their behaviour and feelings better than children whose fathers are absent.
In addition, children who have absent fathers are more likely to engage in at-risk behaviours. This is why there has been a push for male mentors in elementary schools.
While mothers have been recognized as the primary caretakers, times are definitely changing as more women are offered more opportunities in the workplace and fathers are becoming more involved in raising children rather than primarily focusing on providing for the family. Fathers today work hard to take care of their families by providing for their needs, helping with household chores, and spending time with their children.
But sometimes, our fathers are not around to celebrate. If your father has passed or is alive but absent, or you do not have a husband and children, you can still honour a grandfather or male mentor. Think about another man that has positively influenced your life (such as a teacher, coach, or pastor) to whom you can wish a happy Father’s Day. You can even celebrate a friend or a neighbour who is a dad on Father’s Day.
Sometimes, we do not have positive relationships or views of fatherhood from our earthly fathers. If you suffered abuse or neglect at the hands of your father, spend the day focusing on your heavenly Father Who loves you and is the perfect Father—a Father Who will never hurt you and is always for you.
Father’s Day, helps to demonstrate the importance and value of fatherhood—and the gifts beyond material goods that a father bestows on his children and family.
The Management and Staff of BusinessToday wishes All Father’s a Happy Father’s Day.
