Sarah Lemire started out an article for Today.com with these words: “Dads have it made. They get a whole day devoted to them during the best month of the summer: June.”1 This hasn’t always been the case.
In 1972, President Nixon put Father’s Day on the official federal holiday calendar. However, the first day honoring dads took place in 1908 in West Virginia followed by the first statewide celebration in Washington led by Sonora Dodd in 1910. Presidents Wilson and Coolidge did their parts in promoting the holiday in 1916 and 1924, respectively.
Originally, dads were opposed to Father’s Day. “As one historian writes, they “scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products–often paid for by the father himself.”2
Through the years, Father’s Day has clawed its way up the popularity ladder. As of 2023, Father’s Day ranks 6th out of 15 celebrated holidays, losing out to Mother’s Day by only 1%.3 According to other statistics, the average amount spent on moms is $274.02 versus $196.23 spent on dads.4
While we may think the days of giving dad a new tie has gone the way of the dodo bird, that is not the case. Ties still rank in the top gifts along with clothing, special dinners, gift cards, electronics, tools, and sporting goods.
With an estimated 72.2 million dads in the United States5, it seems like a good thing to celebrate them every once in a while, and remind them just how much they are loved and appreciated.
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 says, “Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: (11) As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, (12) That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
What is the chief goal of a dad? Is it to work hard and provide for the family? Is it to be involved with lots of extracurricular activities with your children? Is it to take them to ballgames, fishing trips, and fun vacations? There’s nothing wrong with those things provided they are prioritized. But the most important things a dad does is to teach the kids to walk worthy of God. That is the #1 priority.
Proverbs 4:1-6 gives these instructions: “Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. (2) For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. (3) For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. (4) He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. (5) Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. (6) Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.”
Dads must shoulder some major responsibilities. God will bless and honor those men who are faithful to lead their families for the glory of the Lord.
Happy Father’s Day, dads! May this be a great one for you and may your children celebrate the difference you’ve made in their lives.
1https://www.today.com/life/holidays/when-is-fathers-day-rcna31413
2https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/fathers-day
3https://www.statista.com/statistics/1277607/most-popular-holidays-in-the-united-states/
4https://www.statista.com/chart/30207/fathers-day-spending-vs-mothers-day/
5https://parentspluskids.com/blog/fatherhood-statistics-trends-and-analysis
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