In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd, a devoted daughter from Spokane, Wash., campaigned for a Father’s Day celebration after listening to a church sermon on the merits of Mother’s Day. Her mother had passed away, and her dad had served as both father and mother to his six children for 21 years. She is credited with being the driving force behind the holiday. A stateside celebration was proclaimed in 1910 by the mayor of Spokane and recognized by the governor of Washington. June was chosen because it was the month of her father’s birthday.
The idea was publicly supported by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924, but not presidentially proclaimed until 1966. Annual celebrations were held throughout the U.S. and Canada, but it wasn’t until 1972 that Father’s Day was officially recognized by the U.S. Congress.
Father’s Day is always the third Sunday in June and is a day of commemoration and celebration of dad. It is a day to not only honor your father, but all men who have acted as a father figure in your life … stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers or big brothers.
Let’s face it, mothers view parenthood differently than fathers. If parents had job descriptions, dad’s job would be described as fun.
It’s a time of burnt toast and breakfast in bed, family gatherings, “I love you” scribbled in crayons and, of course, that lovely new tie.
Father’s Day gift buying may become the next frontier in the “battle of the sexes,” as female shoppers prepare to prove that what men can do, women can do twice as well. According to a recent National Federation survey, female shoppers plan to outspend their male counterparts by more than 50 percent on Father’s Day gifts this year. Female shoppers plan to spend an average of $71.00, while male shoppers plan to spend only $33.00. Overall, consumers said they planned to spend an average of $52.30 on Father’s Day gifts this year, compared to $62.00 for Mother’s Day.