Smile of the Day June 19, 2021

Saturday June 19, 2021’s Smile of the Day: Father’s Day

On this Day:

In 1910, Father’s Day was celebrated for the 1st time in Spokane, Washington.

Father’s Day is a holiday of honouring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph’s Day since the Middle Ages. In the United States, Father’s Day was founded by Sonora Smart Dodd, and celebrated on the third Sunday of June for the first time in 1910. The day is held on various dates across the world and different regions maintain their own traditions of honouring fatherhood.

Father’s Day is a recognized Public holiday in Lithuania and some parts of Spain, and was regarded as such in Italy until 1977. It is a national holiday in Estonia, Samoa, and equivalently in South Korea, where it is celebrated as Parents Day. The holiday complements similar celebrations honouring family members, such as Mother’s Day, Siblings Day, and Grandparents’ Day.

For centuries, the Eastern Orthodox Church has appointed the second Sunday before Nativity as the Sunday of the Forefathers to commemorate the ancestors of Christ according to the flesh, starting with Adam and emphasizing the Patriarch Abraham, to whom God said,

In thy seed shall all of the nations of the earth be blessed — Genesis 12:3, 22:18

This feast can fall between December 11 and 17. This feast includes the ancestors of Mary, mother of Jesus and various prophets.

A customary day for the celebration of fatherhood in Catholic Europe is known to date back to at least 1508. It is usually celebrated on March 19, as the feast day of Saint Joseph, who is referred to as the fatherly Nutritor Domini (“Nourisher of the Lord”) in Catholicism and “the putative father of Jesus” in southern European tradition. This celebration was brought to the Americas by the Spanish and Portuguese. The Catholic Church actively supported the custom of a celebration of fatherhood on St. Joseph’s Day from either the last years of the 14th century or from the early 15th century, apparently on the initiative of the Franciscans.

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, the celebration of fatherhood is also observed on St Joseph’s Day, but the Copts observe this on July 20. The Coptic celebration may date back to the fifth century.

Whether to celebrate this day worldwide or not remains a debatable topic. In 1908, Grace Golden Clayton proposed the day to honour those men who had lost their lives in a mining accident in the US. Though it was not accepted then, in 1909 Sonora Smart Dodd, who along with her five brothers was raised by her father alone, after attending Mother’s Day in a church, convinced the Spokane Ministerial Association to celebrate Father’s Day worldwide.

In addition to Father’s Day, International Men’s Day is celebrated in many countries on November 19 in honor of both men and boys.

In Canada, Father’s Day (French: Fête des Pères) is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and is not a public holiday. Father’s Day typically involves spending time with one’s father or the father figures in one’s life. Small family gatherings and the giving of gifts may be part of the festivities organized for Father’s Day.

In the US, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Typically, families gather to celebrate the father figures in their lives. In recent years, retailers have adapted to the holiday by promoting greeting cards and gifts such as electronics and tools. Schools (if in session) and other children’s programs commonly have activities to make Father’s Day gifts (per Wikipedia).

First, a Story:

What did E.T.’s father say to him when he finally got home? “E.T., where on Earth have you been?

Second, a Song:

The Fatherhood Project is a non-profit fatherhood program in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA. Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of children and families by empowering fathers to be knowledgeable, active, and emotionally engaged with their children.

Millions of fathers today – some by choice, others out of necessity – are taking on larger and more diverse roles in parenting and family life. Recent research shows that fathers not only have the capacity for care giving, but that children benefit directly from dads’ parenting contributions.

Yet, more children than ever are growing up without a father in their lives.

According to a Pew Research Center analysis, more than 25 percent of fathers with children aged 18 years or younger now live apart from their children. Nearly one-third of such fathers report communicating with their children less than once a month, and 27 percent say they have not seen their children at all in the past year. A lack of involvement of fathers is associated with negative emotional, social, academic and behavioral outcomes for children. These outcomes result in high costs to society, including higher rates of crime, poverty, marital conflict and substance abuse.

No longer able to rely on the traditional roles, ‘father the breadwinner, mother the caretaker,’ modern men (and women) have the rare opportunity – and enormous challenge – of redefining a more involved and expanded version of fatherhood for generations to come. Findings from the rapidly growing science of early childhood and early brain development clearly show the positive, lifelong impact fathers can have by being engaged early in their children’s lives. The feeling of closeness to a father is critically linked to a child’s future success in school, employment, and relationships (from https://www.thefatherhoodproject.org/about/).

Filmmaker Corbyn Tyson explores what it means to be a good dad in conjunction with The Fatherhood Project. This is a series that looks at what it means to be a father today. This clip was written and Produced by Corbyn Tyson (http://www.corbyntyson.com)

The music is Stirred up by Niklas Aman and Clear to Me by the Saturn Missiles (www.audiosocket.com) (per The Fatherhood Project).

Happy Fathers Day! In honor of the day, here is Corbyn Tyson and The Fatherhood Project’s look at fatherhood from a kids perspective – where they asked a group of kids to tell us what they think about their Dad. Here’s what they said! Share this with a Dad you love.  I hope you enjoy this!

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htO0wSxVGyI)

Thought for the Day:

“Anyone who tells you fatherhood is the greatest thing that can happen to you, they are understating it.” – Mike Myers

Cheers!

Have a great day!

Dave & Colleen

© 2021 David J. Bilinsky and Colleen E. Bilinsky