Father's Day, 2013

Happy Father's Day to all of my readers who are Dads!

Having said that, though, there's a bit of family history I'd like to share (and although the word share is like salt on an open wound to me, it works here): Jennifer and I don't do what we classify as "Greeting Card Holidays". Now, don't get me wrong- Mother's Day and Father's day and Valentine's Day and even Grandparent's Day are really great ideas. But, they're optional in our book. Maybe we're weird, but we rarely even celebrate birthdays or our anniversary.

After a very cursory look at a wikipedia article, it appears that Father's Day is indeed commemorated in a large number of countries. I can't speak for other countries or cultures, but I find it interesting that Father's Day is secondary in importance to Mother's Day- at least in the United States. Mothers and fathers/husbands and wives both perform tasks which enable the family unit to exist and hopefully prosper and grow. Mother's Day was the first of the holidays because I think at the time motherhood really was underappreciated. Father's Day followed, but was a tougher sell- for whatever reason.

It is at this point that I need to say that the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Flash forward approximately 100 years to the present day United States of America, 2013.

I think many folks have come to realize that hype has grown around holidays, and much of the original intent has been lost. Father's Day is an especially cruel joke, as marriage rates decline and more children are raised by their mothers alone. In the United States, if you're a mother, you're a hero; if you're a father, you're incompetent or worse. If you don't believe me, just look at sitcoms and commercials. Even commercials slight fathers- its not Dads, its Dads and Grads.

In any event, I did not start this blog entry to bash a holiday or Fathers; I was just curious as to how many of my regular readers lived in places which celebrate Father's Day. So Happy Father's Day to all Dads!