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The Roots Of Father’s Day

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History of Father’s Day – T-Shirts have become a Popular Gift Idea for Dad

T-Shirts as gifts have become a big part of Father’s Day so we thought it was appropriate to provide a short history of this special day.

Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington spent a Sunday during May of 1909 in church listening to one of the first sermons directed specifically at the celebration of motherhood. She was so taken by the sentiments that she began efforts to generate support for a similar day honoring fatherhood. Her efforts are often credited with the beginning of Father’s Day celebrations in the United States.

Many countries of Roman Catholic leaning celebrate fatherhood on the Feast of Saint Joseph, the day set aside within the church to honor Joseph, the father of Jesus.  Obviously, this makes sense considering that during biblical times it was rare for a man to accept, love and nurture a child who was biologically not his own.

For the United States, a secular celebration seemed more appropriate and the idea for the June came from Mrs. Dodd’s suggestion of June 5.  The day is actually celebrated on the third Sunday in June, however because organization efforts were not completed in time to hold the national celebration on that suggested date.  The first organized celebration happened in her hometown of Spokane in 1910, just one year later than the beginning celebrations for Mother’s Day.

The passing of a bill in support of a national celebration of fatherhood did not occur until many years later however, and gender bias may have been the reason that it took until 1972 for Father’s Day to be declared a national holiday.  Traditionally, the Congress was made up of exclusively men and therefore they believed that passing a holiday with the specific intention of honoring men might appear to be a conflict of interest.  Therefore, it was not until Richard Nixon’s administration that the day became nationally recognized.

When Mrs. Dodd began her efforts, it was partially because her own father had raised six children without their mother.  As a young adult of 27, she had grown to realize the determination, dedication and sacrifice that her father demonstrated in order to present his children with opportunities and love.

Father’s are considered the root and support for society, and their role in guiding their children towards success and virtue is very important to the development of society.  Therefore, the establishment of Father’s Day is very important in that it serves to recognize the role of a father within a family and within society as a whole.

Father’s Day is celebrated widely throughout the world, where children of all ages take time to recognize their father’s love and influence and to celebrate fathers in general.  Most celebrations include a special dinner and gifts.  Naturally, the holiday has become more commercialized than it was ever intended at the beginning.

Because the role and attitude of fathers throughout the world varies tremendously, there is no one specific gift that is given more than others.  Of course, the cliché gift of a tie still appears occasionally.  Unlike Mother’s Day, where flowers and chocolate are hot sellers, retailers have had to become more creative in their marketing efforts in order to cover all types of dads.  Popular gift items do include sports equipment, steak dinners, free car washes by the little ones and of course the t-shirt.  What is most important, however is that people everywhere are taking time out of their busy lives to pay attention to their own father and his role in their life.

How To Celebrate Parents Day

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Celebrating Mom and Dad on Parents Day

Parents around the country share many commonalities, one of which is devotion to their children. Children, grown or not, are able to recognize and honor and thank their parents on Parents Day.

Parents Day was officially proclaimed to be a national and recognized day in 1994, when President Bill Clinton signed a resolution that established the fourth Sunday of every July as Parents Day, a day that recognizes and focuses on the efforts, sacrifices and unconditional love that parents bestow on their children. The day honors parents of all ages, races, beliefs and backgrounds. A parent provides children with the love, understanding and support that are unique to the family unit, and each parent is as unique and different as their children.

Churches, schools and community organizations take advantage of the day to recognize the efforts of parents everywhere; their dedication, loyalty and focus on duty when it comes to raising happy, healthy children. The day encourages parents everywhere to celebrate and strengthen the basic family unit in every community within the United States. Many communities celebrate the occasion by holding community dances and events that are geared to place the spotlight on parents who have gone beyond the call of duty, as it were, in providing nurturing, support and teaching to not only their own children, but others within a community. Family is the basic unit of every town in America, whether it’s small or teeming with millions of inhabitants. The most powerful bond in the world is that between parents and children.

Today, more than ever before, the idea of family is held in high esteem, as the twenty-first century brings with it single parent households, rising divorce rates and broken lines of communication. Family is the root of childhood upbringing, and many children only realize the sacrifices and efforts of their parents after they themselves are grown and have children of their own. Being a parent isn’t easy, nor is it a position that offers monetary gains. Parenthood is the ultimate in self-sacrifice and duty, a position that doesn’t end when the children move away from home. Parents will always be parents, no matter how old their children get.

Parents Day is a day when children throughout the country make cards and gifts for their Mother’s and Father’s, and a day when schools have special events to honor those parents. In many school districts around the country, Parents Day is a cause for celebration, and children perform in plays and musical displays meant to honor parenthood in a variety of ways.

Grown children often celebrate the day with phone calls, if they live away from home, and many parents are treated to flowers, candy, and a dinner on their kids. No matter how anyone decides to celebrate Parents Day, it is a day to offer displays of love and affection for the efforts parents have put into child raising. Parents are always there to kiss skinned knees or to lend a supportive shoulder during times of hardship or crisis. Parents will sometimes do anything in their power to help their children through difficulties in life, and in return, children can show recognition of that fact on Parents Day.

Millions of children, whether they’re five or fifty, take the day to thank their parents for all they have done, and many take the opportunity to celebrate the bonds that were begun at birth. Parents are a constant in the lives of many children, and since its inception in 1994, Parents Day has served as an opportunity for children throughout the country to personally reflect on role of parents, not only in their own lives, but in the lives of future generations.

What To Do On Father’s Day

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Celebrating Dads on Father’s Day

The third Sunday in June of every year is set aside to honor fathers all across the United States, whether they’re new to fatherhood or already a Grandpa. It’s a day when the male head of the household gets to be ‘King for the Day’.

After church services, during which the state of fatherhood is often touched upon, Dad’s everywhere can expect to go home, be waited on hand and foot and treated to a special dinner… well, some fathers can. Others, especially raising children by themselves, celebrate in other ways, even if it’s just to stare at their children and smile. Father’s Day doesn’t have to mean fancy dinners or cards; it can also be recognized in a child’s smile or a tiny hand holding onto your little finger.

No one really knows who started the concept of Father’s Day; though some believe that it originated with a certain good woman from West Virginia who thought that setting aside a day to honor fathers was a good idea. At her request, a special Father’s Day service was conducted at her local church in 1908. Another young woman from Florida wrote to her state governor asking that he proclaim a Father’s Day. Regardless, it seems that a number of like minded women felt that fathers everywhere needed to be officially recognized for their parts in raising children, providing for the family and generally trying to keep order in households across the nation, to varying degrees of success. However, it is generally accepted that a woman in Spokane, Washington was the driving force behind such a declaration, after she petitioned her local minister to ask congregational members of her church to select one Sunday in June to remind churchgoers of the “appreciation owed to fathers.” Mainly remembering her own father and his sacrifices on her behalf, this woman asked that the day be celebrated on her late father’s birthday, hence the date. On that first Father’s Day, on June 19, 1910, local newspapers ran the story. During following years, neighboring communities also observed the day, but it wasn’t until 1924 that President Calvin Coolidge suggested that the day be recognized and honored throughout America.

On Father’s Day, fathers are gifted with t-shirts, ties, bathrobes, pipes and whatever else tickles the fancy of children offering their own idea of thanks for their Dad’s. School children make crafts geared to please, from homemade cards to clay ashtrays and table decorations. Older children often make a gift for Dad as well, whether it’s a crocheted pair of slippers or a knitted sweater, the gifts and mementoes always appreciated, even if they’re the wrong size, color or shape. Gifts of pipes and cigars have long been traditional throughout the history of Father’s Day, though these days, more health conscious fathers receive gift certificates to gyms and golf courses. But our favorite is a t-shirt that shows how much you love your dad or maybe a funny novelty shirt to make him laugh.

Father’s Day also allows fathers everywhere to reflect on their own task of providing examples and lessons for their children, and also to remember that they’re not in this business of raising children alone. Millions of fathers throughout America all face moments of self-doubt or uncertainty, but being a father never came with an instruction book. Every father raises his own children to the best of his ability, and mothers and children take this very special day to recognize that fact.

Father’s Day is a day when a Dad is given the freedom to while away his Sunday doing anything he pleases, even if that means sitting in the recliner watching television all day long. On this day, no one minds if Dad stays in his bathrobe or tinkers in the garage or stays out golfing from sunup to sundown. It’s Father’s Day.