Father's Day is coming!

Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil war veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington State. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.
The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities across America other people were beginning to celebrate a "father's day". In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Jonson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

Father's Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father's Day.




I used to think father's didn't deserve a beer let alone a holiday. I mean, after all, they didn't suffer the pain and agony of delivery, lose even a wink of sleep during the endless months of baby days, have poop thrown at them or even been puked on. They never had their hormones messed with or their bodies turn into something from a horror movie. All they had to do is watch the woman go for the wild ride.

I've come to realize that they deserve more than I thought. They're built differently. They may not have to suffer the physical pain but it may be harder for their testosterone driven bodies to watch and endure their sweet women doing it. I can only imagine how hard it would be for me to watch one of my babies give birth. I bet I'd fall apart. Yet, there they are, still and solid. They endure it and move on.

I've spent so much time trying to get him to care when maybe, just maybe he's not supposed to. I mean, maybe he's built to be our rock. Without our man to take care of us and our babies, would we emotionally capsize?

And what about those emotions? Woman know perfectly how to nurture a boo boo or what to do when your 5 year old is grumpy as can be after not getting much sleep. We have those built in thermometers in our lips and can detect a stinky diaper a mile away. Men just look at the kid and go blank. Maybe they aren't dumb as a doorknob after all.

So, for all the father's that are there and put an effort into their family, they may not be perfect or even claim to be. Honor them with a hug, a back rub or that dagone beer. Give them something for being your rock, even if they stare at you blankly.