In Our View: Fathers Play Valuable Role

In the unlikely event that you are unaware today is Father’s Day, there is still time to purchase a tie or a card or batteries for the remote control to demonstrate your appreciation for good ol’ dad.

But the odds are that you already have made plans and for greetings and salutations appropriate for the holiday. And the odds are that, if you are among those being honored today, you can appreciate something written last year by humor columnist Dave Barry: “I’ve never been totally sold on the concept of Father’s Day. For one thing, it was officially declared a national holiday by Richard Nixon, so it might not even be legal. But my main problem is that I’m not sure we fathers deserve it. I believe — at the risk of being arrested by the Gender Neutrality Police — that fathers in general do not have the same level of parenting skills as mothers.”

Sure, Father’s Day was created because moms had their own day and retailers needed an excuse to sell hammers and golf clubs. But let’s face it, Dad is pretty important, too. After all, none of us would be here if it weren’t for Dad, and most of us are better off for the role he played in our lives.

That said, fatherhood in the United States has undergone vast changes since Sonora Dodd of Spokane conceived the idea of Father’s Day in 1909. Upon hearing a Mother’s Day sermon, Dodd decided that men such as her father — who had raised six children as a single parent following the death of his wife — deserved a little recognition, as well. The idea was slow to take root, but in 1966 Lyndon Baines Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, and in 1972 Richard Nixon made it a formal holiday.

Meanwhile, the changes in fatherhood can be seen in this statistic: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 199,000 men were stay-at-home dads in 2015, raising the children while their wives worked. And as the Pew Research Center reported last year: “In 1965, fathers’ time was heavily concentrated in paid work, while mothers spent more of their time on housework or child care. Over the years, fathers have taken on more housework and child care duties — they’ve more than doubled time spent doing household chores and nearly tripled time spent with children since 1965.”

Pew also found that parents — both fathers and mothers — on average say they spend more time with their children than their parents spent with them. The landscape of parenthood has changed, and our nation is stronger for it.

Yet while the temptation is to offer suggestions for honoring Dad today, the fact is that fathers have varying interests that belie the one-size-fits-all recommendation. As The Columbian wrote editorially in 2012: “One glance around a crowded mall, a church congregation, or a busy airport will prove that fathers come in all shapes, sizes, moods, colors, and income levels, not to mention many ages.”

Which leaves room for the real message of Father’s Day: Regardless of biological connection, the meaning of being a father can be found in serving as a positive male role model for children. In teaching them to navigate the world around them. In providing guidance and direction. As many a would-be philosopher has noted, any man can become a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad.

And so we recognize and celebrate such people today. Yes, there is still time to go out and purchase a tie, but dad would probably prefer a hug and a word of thanks.