About Father's Day

Soon it will be Father's Day; the third Sunday in June, declared a recognized day of national observance in 1972 by President Richard Nixon. Considering there's approximately 64.3 million fathers in the united states, can there be a paradigm of perfection for fatherhood? It's not always easy to separate fathers from dads; after all television & other media have set standards ranging from the remarkable dad who wore a tie while relaxing in his easy chair after work to the profound underemployed, social inept dud, but nevertheless a paternal commemoration should not go unnoticed.

George Washington was our first President who led the colonists in the Revolutionary War, helped the original 13 colonies gain independence from Britain & was widely known for his determination while leading our young country to freedom. he always down played his stature as President & served his country all the days of his adult life. As for having kids of his own, George Washington had none, although he did help raise two of Martha's kids from her first marriage as well as two of her grandchildren. Still he's been recognized as the sister of our country; his accomplishments & achievements surely would have been celebrated by an exceptional Hallmark moment.

hasty forward to the twentieth century when television idealized the typical sister of the 1950's. James Anderson in sister Knows Best epitomized the easy humor & wisdom of a most benevolent gentleman. Ask Betty, Bud or Kitten, the kids of the perfect relatives growing up in the time when sass didn't exist. Much the same could be said for Ward Cleaver in Leave It To Beaver when he calmly solved every problem for Wally & Theodore; kid problems not totally unlike today's issues, but certainly addressed at the time in a world without the web or text messaging. Even single dad, Ben Cartwright of Bonanza kept careful vigil over his three grown sons, Adam, Hoss & Little Joe. The 1000 acre Ponderosa served as a moral backdrop for such social problems ranging from animal cruelty, physically challenged adults & kids & even the homeless with Ben always demonstrating great humanity & generosity as a constant example of his high ethical standards.

During the 1960's the social changes emerged with such sister figures as Archie Bunker in All In the relatives not very what socially progressive son-in-law Michael, aka Meathead, could tolerate. It provided viewers with a sharp contrast of previous dads like Andy Griffith to Opie on The Andy Griffith Show & now turned the attention to bigotry, ignorance & insults, a paternal characteristic never before seen on tv. Not following far behind came Homer of The Simpsons, showing a dad as a perpetual underachiever & poor role model.

More contemporary television has taken both sides of the economics while still portraying sister figures. Dan Connor of Roseanne always had a cold beer in the refrigerator; was occasionally unemployed, yet he was home every evening for dinner with the three kids, the sister-in-law, the misfit boyfriends & Roseanne. In sharp contrast & before President Obama ever thought of walking for office, Heathcliff Huxtable, of The Cosby Show showcased the successful & affluent physician & his attorney wife in an African American relatives patiently & humorously raising one kids in a fashionable Manhattan neighborhood.

All in all, our concept of nice dads & bad dads may not be defined by television, but by our own definitions & how our dads treat us or helped us. Nevertheless, congratulations to the nice ones; & to the bad ones; here's hoping you can become a nice dad; our futures depend on you.

Father's Day History

Once a year we honor our fathers in a special way by celebrating Father's Day. This is the time of year when you have the opportunity to show your Dad how much he means to you. Many people treat their father to a nice dinner and others go all out on the best gift they can think of to buy but have you ever wondered when and how Father's Day got started?

Father's Day was introduced in the early part of the twentieth century to honor fathers in the same way that mothers were honored on Mother's Day. History dictates that this tradition began in Spokane, Washington when a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a sermon about Mother's Day and decided it would be a great idea to do the same for fathers.

Mrs. Dodd was raised by her father after her mother died and looking back on all the things he did for the family made her realize just how special he was. She realized that her father was a very loving and generous man that deserved to be honored and praised for all the sacrifices he made for his family. Since her father was born in the month of June Mrs. Dodd decided to celebrate Father's Day on June 19th and so the first Father's Day ever held was in June of 1910.

By the year 1926 a committee was formed in New York City to honor Father's Day and by 1956 it was recognized by a "Joint Resolution of Congress" as a day of celebration. President Nixon made Fathers Day a permanent national holiday in the year 1972. This is when it was decided that it would always be celebrated on the third Sunday of every June.

On Father's Day it is traditional for the children to give gifts to their father and take them out for a nice meal. This year, honor your father on this special day and show him how much you care and how thankful you are for all the sacrifices he makes for you each and every day.
Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses.