Today is the one whose concept in the United States originated early in the 20th century but did not become a national holiday by way of legislation until 1972: Father’s Day. I think it should be Fathers’ Day. Better yet…Fatherhood Day.
Instead of a day where we honor, thank and celebrate fathers, perhaps we should not just do so for the person, but also the “state of being a father” (definition of fatherhood). The state of being a father involves a multitude of functions and responsibilities, ranging from protection of the family (from all manner of threats) to teaching young ones skills ranging from riding a bike to the use of tools to jumping the battery on a car. Call me OG; I am. Obviously, mothers can do similar things, but there is typically a difference between what and how a father lives in the “state of being a father” than how a mother lives in the “state of being a mother.”
Sixteen years ago, I completed the book that I am most proud of: Daddin’: The Verb of Being a Dad. About 30 years ago, I wrote in my journal that dads needed a verb. Mothers mother. If you told someone that you saw a woman mothering a child at the local playground, they would likely envision a variety of wonderful things that the woman might have been doing. Tell someone that you saw a man fathering a child at the playground, and…well, the image is quite different! From that idea sprung the concept for the book. It is about my life as son to a father and father to three sons. It is a book of moments.
It is the moments that comprise the state in which the father lives. We can pause in appreciation on this day for those moments, whether they be the ones we remember or the ones lived out currently; they are sources of joy, strength and love.