The Meaning of Dad

by Terry Trahan, Jr.

“If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a 50 percent chance of being right.” — Bill Cosby

Fathers deal with a lot. They get blamed when the toilet seat is left up, and they are the first accused when the family car gets lost on the open highway. They have the responsibility to bring home the bacon and ensure that the lawn is manicured for the weekend. If the steaks burn on the grill, guess whose fault?

It’s his cell that is first to ring when a car gets a flat, not to mention being the one who hands out the cash for the new tire. And when the family does arrive at the restaurant for dinner, the waitress instinctively brings the bill to him.

Fathers are role models and superheroes. They are clueless, yet the source for all answers. They are expected to know how to fix up the house and, while they’re at it, kill the nest of wasps hanging out at the front door. He’s the one expected to walk through the dark, searching for the boogey monster lurking behind the corner. Dad is the nightlight glowing in the twinkle of a child’s eye at bedtime.

There’s no other job quite like dad.

In 1909, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd recognized the importance of fathers while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon. Her mother had passed away, and she appreciated all the sacrifices her father had made for her. Sonora sought to honor him in a special way, so she chose to host a Father’s Day in her home state of Washington in June, the month of her father’s birthday.

By 1926, a National Father’s Day Committee had formed in New York City after President Calvin Coolidge announced his support for the holiday two years before. Forty years after the original committee convened, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Father’s Day to be a national holiday, celebrated each year on the third Sunday in June.

Families continue to honor fathers on their special day with greeting cards, gifts, phone calls and quality time spent together. Of all seasonal greeting cards sold annually, Father’s Day accounts for 93 million messages that say just the right thing, according to Hallmark. When it comes to the phone lines, the holiday lights up the switchboards with collect calls, the most made in a single day all year. Don’t worry. In true dad fashion, he’ll pick up that tab, too.

Father’s Day is June 20. Beat the crowd, get the card, make the call and send the bill to dad. He’ll just add it to his list of things to do.