You could say Mother’s Day gave birth to Father’s Day.
A day recognizing the importance of moms first began early in the 20th century.
A woman named Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a Mother’s Day sermon at the Central Methodist Episcopal Church in Spokane, Washington, in 1909 when it struck her — there should be a similar tribute to dads.
After all, her own father, William Smart, had raised six children by himself after the death of his wife in childbirth.
Dodd organized a Father’s Day observance on June 19 of that year. She didn’t get much support; even her hometown newspaper mocked the notion.
It took over half a century before her idea stuck. A bill commemorating dads was introduced in Congress in 1913, but it was not until President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation 53 years later that Father’s Day became an official federal holiday.
Why?
It is indisputable that fathers play an important part in their children’s lives.
“The majority of studies affirm that an involved father can play a crucial role, particularly in the cognitive, behavioral, and general health and well-being areas of a child’s life,” according to Psychology Today.
Here’s what their studies say:
Having a positive male role model helps an adolescent boy develop positive gender-role characteristics.
Adolescent girls are more likely to form positive opinions of men and are better able to relate to them when parented by an involved father.
It is generally accepted, under most circumstances, that a father’s presence and involvement can be as crucial to a child’s healthy development as a mother’s.
Changes in culture in recent years have made fathers much more conscious of their value, which, in turn, leads to a greater desire to be involved.
If you need more proof, maybe the words of a former president who grew up without a father may help.
“We know the statistics,” Barack Obama said in a 2008 campaign speech. “Children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of school and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home or become teenage parents themselves.”
He spoke of his own absent father, who left when Obama was 2.
“So, I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to break the cycle — that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father to my girls,” Obama said.
So, dads, please understand the obligation you have to your child.
And everyone else, please say thanks to those fathers who have enriched your lives.